


Out to get you

by Pooky1234



Category: Doctor Who, Torchwood
Genre: AU, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-26
Updated: 2011-04-15
Packaged: 2017-10-15 23:21:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 42,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/165928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pooky1234/pseuds/Pooky1234
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto Jones is a detective sergeant in Cardiff CID. Andy is his best friend and a detective constable. Ianto is out to catch Jack Harkness who has become a fascination for him. He thinks Jack is a conman, scamming people by claiming to have alien artefacts and then casing their homes to rob them. Of course, nothing is what any of them think, as you’ll find out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Detective Sergeant Ianto Jones of Cardiff CID sat over the other side of the cafe watching his target. He was sitting with fellow officers Gwen Cooper and Andy Davidson, although strictly none of them were on duty. His target was obviously waiting for someone. Ianto stared at the man; he was six feet tall, with dark spiky hair and startlingly blue eyes. Ianto had been told to keep his distance but he’d got near enough to see those eyes. He was dressed in what Ianto realised was his usual outfit of dark trousers, blue or white shirt, braces, with that familiar RAF greatcoat. The coat, as well as his height, made him easy to spot in a crowd. Ianto wondered what he was doing here; he also wished the place made better coffee, because, frankly, this stuff was lousy.

‘Ianto, you’re staring!’ Gwen whispered.

‘Sorry, I’m just keeping an eye on him,’ Ianto replied rather defensively.

‘We know, but don’t make it so bleeding obvious,’ Andy added, ‘Though he is rather handsome, wouldn’t you say, Gwen?’

‘Yeah, he’s gorgeous. No wonder they say that no-one can resist him, man or woman! They say he can charm the birds from the trees, which is why, I suppose, he’s such a great con man. Do you think he’s meeting someone here then?’

‘Probably. Word is that Harkness has some fantastic alien artefact to sell to another gullible collector. This is the first time he’s been seen in South Wales recently. No doubt he’s found some patsy to buy the artefact already. We believe he’s meeting the man responsible for producing these things. He calls himself the Doctor for some reason. I’ve no idea who he is; he seems to appear and disappear just as quickly. The rumour is this is supposed to be something big. This is a multi-million pound scam.’

 

The cafe door opened and Captain Jack Harkness looked up and smiled. He and the Doctor went back years. He still hadn’t fully got used to the new face but he loved the man nonetheless. He knew the Doctor kept him dangling on a string; he’d never feel the same as Jack, but the crumbs he gave away were enough. As he looked across the room he saw the three people at the table opposite. Pity he was busy as he’d have been in there chatting them up. Well, perhaps not the blonde one, no matter what John Hart said! But the other two were distinct possibilities. Jack was having a quick three-some fantasy as the Doctor settled into the seat opposite him.

‘Doctor’

‘Jack.’

‘Good to see you again.’

‘You too. I believe you’ve found me another alien collector to deal with.’

‘Yeah, Doc, but we’re going to have to be careful with this one. This isn’t any old amateur collector we’re dealing with. This bloke has been collecting alien stuff for years. I’ll need something big to offer him, if we’re going to get in there to see what he has, and I think the police may be on to me as well. That last scam has them thinking that I’m the bad guy.’

The Doctor laughed at that. ‘You are the bad guy, Jack, of a sort. You’re the perfect con man. So how long has it been now, since you left Torchwood Cardiff?’

‘Its eight years since Alex... you know I couldn’t face it anymore. They’ve closed down Torchwood 3, except for a couple of monitors. UNIT deals with stuff that comes through the rift now. I couldn’t go on, not after what Alex did. And then you came back, and I found out once and for all that I’m the man who can never die. So here I am, Doc, at your beck and call and back in Cardiff again. Anyway, enough of the good old days! What do we have to offer our buyer this time? It’ll need to be good.’

‘A Chula warship,’ the Doctor replied.

‘How the hell did you get one of those? And what about the nanogenes? You know what happened the last time.’

‘Well, we both know, don’t we? But that was a different time, Jack, and a different place.’

‘Not to mention a different face!’ Jack added.

‘Well, at least you’ll be able to fly this one. That should impress our collector! It was found in the Gobi Desert. Luckily the TARDIS picked it up before anybody else did.’

‘What have you done with the nanogenes?’ Jack asked.

‘Stored them in the TARDIS; you never know when they might be useful. After all we don’t want anyone getting hold of them, not after the last time.’

Jack laughed, ‘Mind you, it did give you one of your best lines, didn’t it? And everyone got to live. What was the old lady’s name, the one who got her leg back? That was so funny.’

Jack stopped for a moment, lost in thought. ‘Ah Doc, I miss you; I miss the old you too, although you were grumpier then. Still I do like your new coat. So is there any chance of finding a nice hotel room, or popping into the TARDIS for old times’ sake? It’s been a while!’

‘Jack, you know what we agreed,’ the Doctor replied seriously.  
‘I know, but you can’t blame a guy for trying! Sex with a Time Lord does sort of put everyone else into the shade!’

‘Does nothing ever stop you trying?’ the Doc replied.

‘Gotta keep my hand in, so to speak! I have a reputation to maintain. I am the omnisexual Captain Jack Harkness after all! So where’s this Chula warship parked then? I assume it’s invisible, thanks to its cloaking device?’

‘It’s in an abandoned warehouse on the docks; the TARDIS is there as well. Jack, have you noticed that guy over there keeps staring at you?’

‘Yeah, I noticed. He’s rather gorgeous, isn’t he? I was thinking earlier he might be worth a go! And the girl with him! Perhaps we should give him a reason to hope, eh Doc?’ Jack got up and leaned across the table. The Doctor followed his lead. For a moment their lips touched. Jack wanted so much for this to continue but the Doctor broke it off almost straightaway.

‘I’ll be in contact soon, Jack. Take care of yourself, and do try to resist his charms!’ he said nodding in the direction of Ianto. ‘You know we can’t afford any complications.’

‘Don’t worry, Doc. I’ll organise meeting with our target; perhaps he’ll be more open to my charms than you are!’

‘Oh, I’m well aware of your charms, Jack, believe me! But you know there’ll only ever be one person for me.’

‘I know. Take care, Doc. I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve sorted anything.’

As the Doctor walked out, coat swishing around him, Jack glanced across the room. The gorgeous man in the suit was staring at him again. He smiled. For a moment their eyes met and then the blonde man spoke. Jack couldn’t hear what he said. ‘Mmm, interesting,’ he thought to himself, ‘but sadly not today’. He took out his phone and rang the number he’d been given, leaving a message. ‘This is Captain Jack Harkness. I’ve spoken to my contact today and I think I can promise you something quite spectacular.’


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: So we find out a little more about Andy and Ianto and their secrets. Gwen features in this chapter but as I continued to write this she did get sort of sidelined. Perhaps she'll appear more in the sequel!

Chapter 2

Ianto Jones opened the door of his house and shouted, 'I'm home' as he took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack in the hallway. He heard a plaintiff cry come from the kitchen and went in. The cries continued so he bent down and picked up Myfanwy who immediately, having got her way, began to purr in his arms. He rubbed her ears affectionately.

'What are you crying about, puss. I'll sort some food now. Come on let me get some coffee on.' He put the grounds into the machine and set it to work. Immediately the room was filled with a fantastic aroma; Ianto Jones was very particular about his coffee.

'So what do you want?' he said looking down at Myfanwy who was winding her way in and out of his legs. 'Meat or fish? I suppose it'll be meat as you had fish this morning.' He put the food down and poured his coffee, black with no sugar as always. He carried it through to the living room, touching the photograph on the sideboard before sitting on the sofa. Within minutes Myfanwy was on his lap purring softly. He switched on the TV and sort of watched but mostly he thought about Jack Harkness. He knew he was getting obsessed with catching the man; he was a crook and he should be behind bars. Ianto was amazed that there were so many gullible people who believed his tall tales of aliens. He opened the dossier he had put together on the man. He seemed to have started these cons around seven years ago but the name Jack Harkness cropped up elsewhere, over many years. It was intriguing. He'd also found references to the organisation known as Torchwood but Ianto hadn't been able to find out what it was and there were so many dead ends. There were also references to someone called the Doctor but again they were confusing, as the face of the man seemed to change. It was a bit like the dread Pirate Roberts from the Princess Bride, Ianto thought. He looked over to the photograph of Lisa smiling; it had been her favourite film. Was the title of Doctor handed over from person to person giving him legendary status? He picked up the phone and rang for pizza choosing vegetarian for himself and a meat feast for Andy, laughing to himself at the irony of that choice. He needed to eat more vegetables and this was as near as he was going to get. Next he phoned Andy.

'Doing anything?' he asked. 'I've just ordered pizza?'

'Me, doing anything, I wish I was, but seeing as I haven't even had a sniff of a man for so long I suppose I could put up with yet another evening with you. I'll pick up some beer on the way as we're not on until the late shift tomorrow. I can always kip in your spare room can't I?'

'As long as you don't sneak into my room in the middle of the night intent on having your wicked way!' Ianto replied laughing out loud.

'Look your arse is nice but you're not really my type, although it would be great to have you around as at least the place would be tidier. No, I'll just have to wait for the perfect man, all blond hair and blue eyes and cheek bones you could cut yourself on, to come along. He must be out there somewhere. Got anything planned for us to do?'

'I'm just reading through this stuff on Harkness. I've been trying to find out more about Torchwood,' Ianto explained.

Andy sighed. 'Can't we leave that alone for tonight and you can bore me watching Bond again while I just swoon over whichever of them we watch? I'll see you in a bit.'

Andy put the phone down and sighed again. He felt bad not telling Ianto what he knew about Torchwood. He knew that Harkness had been involved somehow but not the details. A few years back Andy had begun acting as police liaison for the secret organisation. Anything strange and Andy was sent to investigate. It had been hard keeping it from Ianto but Chief Superintendent Swanson had insisted. As for aliens Andy wasn't sure; all he did was cover up anything involving these creatures called weevils; he had no idea what they were. He had his orders to follow so for now he kept silent.

PC Gwen Cooper came home to find her husband waiting for her. They'd been married for six months and she was very happy. Rhys might not be everyone's idea of the perfect man but he was hers.

'Hi love, I've made us some lasagne for tea, garlic bread as well. If we both eat it we can snog anyway.' He came up to stand in front of her. She felt safe in those arms and loved. The biggest problem in her life now was to decide between promotion and a baby. Rhys would make a great dad. He'd even said that he would stay at home so she could continue working; that way she could go for her sergeant's stripes after all.

'That's great love. I'm just going to have a quick shower to wash the grime of the mean streets off me!' Fifteen minutes later she was back dressed in sweat shirt and pants with hair tied back loosely and totally free of make-up. To Rhys she looked perfect down to the gap in her teeth.

'So anything interesting today, love? Any meaty cases to tell me about?'

'No, nothing really, just the usual thieves and drunks. There is this one case, well it's not even a case really, more Ianto's obsession. There's this bloke, Jack Harkness who usually looks like he should be in World War Two; he always wears a RAF greatcoat. Well, he's a conman according to Ianto and he's come to Cardiff because Ianto reckons he's going to try to pull off a big scam here. It seems this bloke pretends to sell alien artefacts for high prices.

'Alien? There's no such thing as aliens just some idiots getting hysterical over nothing. It'll be Londoners thinking they know it all,' Rhys said his voice laced with sarcasm.

'Harkness claims to have these things and gullible collectors pay for them then he cases the joint and robs them blind. He's good though; he's never been caught. Ianto is so determined to stop him though he's becoming like Javert in Les Mis.'

'And we all know how that ended! What's he like then this bloke?' Rhys continued.

'He's around six foot with dark hair and he's well built. Ianto dragged Andy and me to a café today so it wouldn't be so obvious that he was following him. He met a contact in the café and kissed him!'

'Oh gay is he? So Andy had his tongue hanging out then!' Gwen punched his arm. 'What you know I don't mean it but he was whingeing about the lack of decent men around here last time we saw him!

'I know, so anyway the trouble is that we don't know where this bloke is staying in Cardiff. He seems to have this uncanny knack of avoiding CCTV as well. Ianto thinks that his target is already being pulled in but he doesn't know who it is yet. By the way this lasagne is lovely, cariad.' As they watched the TV later all thoughts of Jack Harkness disappeared.

The man himself was sat in his hotel room. He never stinted himself wherever he was. The room was gorgeous with a great view over the Bay, and over the Plass. He felt a bit sad as he looked down, knowing that the Hub was below, abandoned now he assumed, except for occasional monitoring visits. He often wondered if he could sneak in just for old time's sake.

He was waiting for a phone call. While he waited he opened up his laptop and got into the CCTV cameras around the café. Sure enough he found the images of the three people who had been keeping an eye on him. He was curious; he had the best recognition software on the market. Using it he was intrigued to find that all three were members of the local police. He knew that wouldn't be a coincidence. He would have to be careful with this one. He stared at the image of detective sergeant Ianto Jones. He ran the name through every data base he had available and found that he had returned to Cardiff from London about two years ago. 'So Ianto Jones, are you out to get me?' It was going to be interesting finding out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is about Jack and the Doctor and how they got to where they are today. In many ways it’s a bit sad and angsty.

Chapter 3

The next day Jack set off to find the warehouse the Doctor had mentioned. He programmed the co-ordinates into his vortex manipulator and drove to a deserted part of the docks. He wondered how long it would stay that way; developments of seaside flats seemed to be appearing everywhere. As he parked around the back a door opened and out stepped the Doctor.

His relationship with the man was complicated. Even after he’d left Torchwood on that fateful night, he’d kept a watch on CCTV feed from the Plass, waiting for when the Doctor returned to refuel the TARDIS. Jack had hitched a lift to the end of time to get the Doctor to explain what had happened to him. After patching up their relationship Jack had travelled with him for a while. There had been just the two of them travelling around in time and space after Martha had returned home. It had taken some time but Jack had eventually worn down the other man’s defences. He knew that the Doctor missed Rose, who was stuck in a parallel world; he knew that he was lonely, more lonely than anyone could imagine, being the last of his kind now that the Master was dead. Jack understood his loneliness. He was cursed to see all those he loved die before him and they had over and over again. He knew that the Doctor might not keep this face forever and he might get fed up of him but for now surely they had something to offer each other.

It had started as an ordinary day, except than the Doctor had seemed a bit distracted. They were back on Earth. For some reason he’d wanted to go back to the estate Rose had lived on. They’d wandered around for a while and then returned to the TARDIS. The Doctor had disappeared to his room leaving Jack at a loose end. He’d tried reading, he’d listened to music, he’d made coffee and more coffee but he was bored. He knew finding the Doctor’s room could take time in the maze that was the TARDIS, but maybe the Old Girl has wanted to help as it turned out to be the first room he came to. The Doctor was sitting on his bed, knees pulled up with his head resting there as he stared into space. Jack couldn’t bear it. He knew he had to hug this man. That he loved him was beyond doubt, even after the Doctor had told him he was wrong, he couldn’t help but love him. As he put his arms around the Time Lord he felt him relax. The Doctor’s head buried itself into his shoulder. Jack just held on, glad for any physical contact. Then it began. He kissed the side of the Doctor’s head; they were small gentle kisses that eventually reached the other man’s forehead. The Doctor raised his face; Jack put one hand under his chin and looked him straight in the eye. It was now or never. He leaned in and the Doctor didn’t move away. Their lips met. They’d kissed once before; Jack had been mortal then and it seemed like a life time ago but this time the kiss lingered. Jack felt the Doctor’s hands go around his body, pulling him in. Suddenly there was a tongue pushing at his mouth, trying to gain entrance. Jack opened his lips willingly to let the other man in. There was no fighting to gain access himself; he let the Doc lead the way. When the two broke apart both were breathless and panting but there was a look in the Time Lord’s eye, a look Jack had never seen before. He realised that it was greed; it was hunger and above all it was need. They slowly began undressing each other, feeling each piece of skin as it was exposed, touching and kissing.

‘Wow, Jack, you smell so good,’ the Doctor said as he kissed his neck. ‘Those 51st century pheromones I suppose.’

Jack licked up the length of the Doctor’s somewhat skinny chest, tasting the man beneath him. ‘Do all Time Lords taste like that?’ he asked.

‘No that’s just me. Why what does it taste like?’

‘It’s hard to pin down; it keeps changing. It’s like all my favourite flavours melted into one. It’s like drinking Asturian mead; it’s intoxicating. I think I’m getting a little tiddily, Doc.’

‘You also appear to be getting a little interested!,’ the other man responded. And then much to Jack’s surprise he placed his hand on Jack’s groin.

‘Look, Doc, I know we’re not going to settle down, live together and have babies; I know you don’t feel like I do, but I’m here and I love you and I want to make love with you. Can you do that just this once? I won’t ask anymore of you, I promise’

Jack felt his belt being unbuckled and a hand reaching inside. The feel of that hand was electrifying. He reached over and placed his hand on the Doctor and was amazed to find he was similarly affected.

‘Let’s get undressed, Doc; I want to see you. I want you to see all of me as well.’

The Doctor lifted his hips as Jack removed the rest of his clothes. The immortal sat back on his heels and looked at the man before him, because that’s what he was at this moment, no longer a Time Lord but just another man like himself with dreams and desires to fulfil.

‘Do you like what you see?’ the Doctor asked. All Jack could do was nod. He removed the rest of his clothes until finally he sat there naked, next to his Doctor, running his hands up and down his chest until he finally reached lower. His touch was delicate, as if he was at last being allowed to touch something precious, something beyond priceless.

‘I think you’ll find that the anatomy is the same, Jack,’ the Doctor said smiling. ‘What do you want to do? I’m a bit out of practice.’ Jack thought for a moment. He knew that this was likely to be the one and only time; he knew what he wanted but he didn’t know how the other man would react.

‘Doc, I just want to feel you inside me. Would you just this once?’ Then he looked rather sheepish as he asked: ‘you do know what that involves don’t you?’

‘Yes Jack I’m familiar with many forms of dancing!’ The Doctor opened a drawer. ‘Thanks Old Girl. She really does like you, Jack!’

‘I want to see you,’ Jack said as he placed a pillow under his hips. He felt the Doctor push against him, searching. He examined every detail of the Time Lord’s face as he registered the surprise that he was now fully inside the immortal. He began to move, setting a rhythm that suited them both. Between groans and sensations Jack wondered if Time Lords experienced the same feelings as humans. He touched himself and knew it wouldn’t take long. It was then that he noticed the glow; it was like they were surrounded by nanogenes. Little sparkles of light enveloped them both until the Doctor cried out and Jack heard himself do the same. All at once the lights exploded, flinging themselves at the walls of the room. As the Doctor withdrew Jack felt lost but then his love lay down next to him and gathered him in his arms.

‘Was it worth it, Jack?’ he asked.

‘Are you fishing for compliments,’ Jack replied.

‘Well, it’s nice to know from as man as, umm, experienced as you.’

Jack hesitated slightly before he spoke. ‘Doc the glow and other things; is that what normally happens when Time Lords well …….’ Jack left the words hanging in the air.

The Doctor looked a little embarrassed. ‘Sometimes, but not always. There has to be a certain chemistry for that to happen. They’re special.’ Jack looked up waiting for the Doctor to explain but the explanation never came. ‘Oh and by the way I made sure you wouldn’t get pregnant; I know you can and who knows what the offspring of an immortal and Time Lord would be like.’

Jack was taken back to another time and found himself touching his stomach and wondering what had become of his child. When the Time Agency had taken his memories they’d taken his child as well. Jack found he was very sleepy. He felt his eyes closing and the next thing he knew it was morning and he was alone once more.

After that night they never really mentioned it again. Time went on and things became more and more strained between them. It was too complicated for both of them to deal with their feelings. Jack knew in the end that he should never have gone there; it had been a mistake. He left the TARDIS and the Doctor and found himself back on Earth, looking for something to do. Despite the difficulties he couldn’t tear himself away from the Doctor; he kept in touch with the Time Lord and found himself helping him the best way he could by doing what he did best; he became a conman again, helping the Doctor locate alien technology and then destroying it. They were a good team and they were about to embark on another adventure.

He looked at the man stood at the door. ‘So Doc, where’s this Chula warship you promised me then?’


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jack and the Doctor looked at the warship which was tethered within the huge open space of the warehouse; the TARDIS was stood next to it.

‘So do you think you can still fly one of these, Jack? I’m sure your client will be interested and then we can discover what else he has. These people often like to boast of their collection. From what you’ve told me I think our Mr Romanski is probably one of these Russian oil barons with more money than sense. Looking at the information I’ve got here I think he’s also likely to be interested in your charms as well, Jack.’

Jack Harkness didn’t know how to feel about the last remark. He wasn’t above using his body to get what he wanted, male, female, tentacled alien, Jack had entertained them all, but he couldn’t help feeling a little hurt that the Doctor would almost encourage him to seduce the man.

‘Not really my thing anymore Doc, unless he’s really cute of course. So,’ he said opening the door of the warship, ‘let’s have a look.’

The two men went inside and Jack took the pilot’s seat. Minutes later he was flying slowly around the warehouse. ‘Just like riding a bike; you never forget,’ Jack said. ‘The last time I was in one of these I had a bomb on my tail. As I remember they do a nice cocktail; computer emergency protocol 417!’ All at once before him stood a martini. He picked it up, took a mouthful and pulled the olive off the stick. ‘Hmm not bad, slightly dry, a little too much vermouth but a pretty good effort. Now Doc, what price are we going to put on this baby? I’d say at least £10 million. I’ve got to contact the broker again later. He wants to meet at a local club Saturday night. Don’t worry I’ll insist on seeing the man himself when it comes to the exchange. I wish I could take her out and really fly it but UNIT would be onto me in minutes. How did you get her here?’

‘Simple, put on the invisible cloak, attached it to the TARDIS and we can get it to the rendezvous in the same way. I’ll sort it so it’ll be off UNIT’s radar.

‘So Doc, you’re still on your own I see. Not like you to travel that way.’

No, trying to avoid any complications after Rose and Martha and you. Well you know what I mean, Jack; although I don’t mean to, I just end up hurting people.’ For a moment the Doctor stared into space. ‘Mind you there is something I’m investigating; there’s this firm that have promised to help people lose weight. It seems too good to be true so I intend to do a little digging if I can leave this to you.’

‘Yeah, I’ll see that middle man tomorrow night. I’ve got a little investigating of my own to do. It seems those three in the café yesterday might not have been there by accident.’

‘Oh,’ the Doc replied. ‘I just assumed that the one who kept staring fancied you; that’s normally the reason!’

‘Do I detect a touch of jealousy, Doc? Well, gorgeous though he may be he’s Detective Sergeant Ianto Jones who transferred from the Met almost two years ago after his girlfriend, Lisa Hallett, died at the Battle of Canary Wharf. He’s been in Cardiff for about 18 months. His companions were DC Andy Davidson and PC Gwen Cooper, both locals. I wonder if he has any idea how she died. The cover up was pretty thorough; anyone who was there was retconned.’

‘Very few outsiders got in, Jack. He was probably told the same story as everyone else. I’ll tell you something strange, that female PC reminded me of someone Rose and I met back in 1869. Perhaps they are related. Right I need to get out of here for a bit. Take care, Jack. I know what you’re like. This mission is important; there are rumours that Romanski has something big in his collection, something we need to deal with.’

‘You know me, Doc; careful is my middle name!’

‘No, Jack, trouble is your middle name!’

‘Well, let’s face it Doc, I’m the man who can’t die so I may as well make use of that fact.’ Jack was beginning to feel a little tetchy.

‘Correction, Jack, you’re the man who won’t stay dead; there is a difference and you know that. So, I repeat, be careful. Let me know what this bloke says after you meet him Saturday night. We can plan from there.’

‘Okay, I think I might do some sightseeing in the meantime. It’s been a few years since I was back here. I wonder how the weevil situation is in Cardiff. I think I’ll go down to the Bay again. I wonder if the Hub’s been completely abandoned.’ The Doctor looked over his glasses at him. ‘Yeah, Doc I know I won’t try to get in, just in case.’

The following day he found himself sitting on a bench in the Plass overlooking Cardiff Bay. He could see the steps down to the Tourist Office entrance as well as the invisible lift. He watched as two people walked arm in arm towards the steps. He got up and walked to the rail to see where they were going. They were talking and laughing as they drank from the coffee cups in their hands. The woman was small and pretty, obviously Japanese in origin; the man accompanying her was also dark and rather skinny. He watched as the man opened the Tourist Office door and they went in. So there were people going into the Hub. He wondered if Torchwood had been revived without him or if these two were just minders.

He closed his eyes and the last vision he had of the Hub assailed his mind. He watched as Alex pulled the trigger that blew out his brains yet again. He simply didn’t understand what had made Alex do it; why had he killed the whole team? He knew people had become obsessed about the Millennium Bug but was that all that Alex had been afraid of? He’d kept saying that the 21st was when everything changed but Jack had no idea what this meant. Jack opened his eyes and wondered if those changes had begun to happen. All he could hope was that somebody was ready!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Later in a club in Cardiff …………

Chapter 5

‘Why did I let you persuade me to come out tonight? I’m knackered already after watching City this afternoon! I swear being a Bluebirds fan will be the death of me one day. They left it till the 92nd minute to blast a winner into the net.’ Andy feigned a yawn.

‘Bloody hell!’ Ianto continued, ‘You’re such a gay stereotype, Andy!’

‘What? I like sport, I go with you to watch rugby don’t I?’

‘You go because you fancy them, all that beefcake covered in mud!’ Ianto replied, ‘Anyway get me a beer and then you can check out the customers to see if your perfect man has finally appeared. And I’ll try to avoid getting hit on, again!’

‘Mmm, I think that’s unlikely. Did you look in the mirror before you came out? I don’t fancy you and I know you’re gorgeous. Those black jeans are positively obscene and no-one should look as good in a cardigan as you do!’

‘Beer, Andy! I’m dying of thirst here,’ Ianto reminded him.

At the bar Andy ordered two beers. He felt a presence at his elbow but didn’t take much notice until a voice spoke, ‘Can I get those for you?’ the voice said; it had a slight American twang to it. Andy turned, about to decline the offer, when he stopped, taking in the vision in front of him.

‘Oh my God,’ he thought, ‘he’s perfect.’ If Andy could have designed his perfect man, then this man would be it! He was shorter than Andy, with blonde brown hair that was cut short because you just knew it would curl like mad. He had blue eyes and the most perfectly shaped mouth, but it was the cheekbones that did it! The face was like a sculpture perfectly executed by Michelangelo. Andy just wanted to run his fingers down those cheeks, this guy was stunning, beautiful, magnificent – and he was offering to buy him a drink!

‘Sorry,’ Andy said, ‘did you just offer me a drink? The vision smiled.

‘Yeah, if you want one. I’m new in town and couldn’t help but notice you and your boyfriend sat over there.’

Andy sighed; sometimes he didn’t know why he took Ianto out with him. They always fancied him; time to let the bloke down. ‘Oh, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s just my best friend and he’s straight. I just force him to come out with me.’ He expected to see the other man’s face fall, but instead he grinned. Then he looked Andy up and down and grinned again. Andy was slightly puzzled for a moment, especially when the vision said, ‘Oh good! Now that drink is still on offer. I’m John Hart by the way.’

He held out his hand and Andy shook it, worrying that his palms would be sweaty. The other guy’s grip was firm, his fingers surprisingly long and thin. Almost immediately Andy found himself wondering what John Hart would be able to do with those fingers!

‘Nice to meet you, John Hart. My name’s Andy, Andy Davidson. And the guy over there is Ianto Jones. Come on, join us. Ianto won’t mind, and you can tell me what brings you to Wales in the springtime.’

From across the room Ianto could see Andy talking to some guy. Just looking at his friend’s face, he could tell that Andy was hooked. They were coming over. ‘Oh shit,’ Ianto thought. ‘Did that mean he was going to be playing gooseberry again?’ The two men edged into the booth next to him, as Andy passed him his beer.

‘Ianto Jones, this is John Hart. He’s over here on business from America for a few weeks.’

‘Oh yeah,’ Ianto said. ‘What is it you do then?’

‘Difficult to explain really. I suppose you could say that I source things for people. Or indeed people for people. It’s a bit like being a private detective really. Clients tell me what they want and I try and find it for them. Usually I work in the US but word gets around when you’re good at what you do.’

‘So what is it you’re looking for here then?’ Ianto asked, his police senses ringing loudly.

‘Come on, Ianto, give the guy a break! He’s here to have some fun, not face one of your interrogations! You’ll be asking him if he’s intentions are honourable before we know it!’ Hart smirked and whispered something into Andy’s ear. When his friend blushed, Ianto began to see how this evening was going to end. The music changed and Hart grabbed Andy, pulling him out of the seat. ‘Come on, let’s dance. You do dance, don’t you?’

‘Certainly do,’ Andy replied, following the other man eagerly onto the dance floor, leaving Ianto alone again with his thoughts. These days Ianto rarely danced, unless he’d had a few. The last time he’d danced was at his sister’s party six months ago. Rhi had thrown yet another of her friends at him and Ianto had tried but nearly two years on he wasn’t over Lisa; he wasn’t sure he ever would be. He knew that odd things had happened that day; Lisa had worked for Torchwood, a rather mysterious organisation. They were told that the workers had died due to a gas leak of some sort. He’d been on duty across town that day; he’d not even seen her body, so some part of him held on to the belief that she was still alive, even though he’d been at her funeral and watched the coffin being lowered into the grave. He felt a tear in the corner of his eye and wiped it away.

He looked up and smiled as Andy was now well into dancing with John Hart. He watched as Hart pushed his groin into Andy’s arse, moving in time to the music. Ianto had to admit that they looked good together. It had been a while since he’d seen anybody in bondage trousers and that jacket made Hart look like a stray hussar! But it was certainly an interesting and eye-catching look!

Then out of the corner of his eye Ianto saw him moving through the dancers towards the bar. There, large as life and still wearing the trademark greatcoat, was Jack Harkness.

He watched as the tall American ordered a beer at the bar, turned around to look at the dance floor whilst leaning his elbows back on the bar as if he owned the place. The man oozed charisma and confidence; it was as if he were saying ‘here I am, come and get me!’ Ianto had the feeling that it wouldn’t matter whether the person was male or female. He saw Harkness look through the crowd of dancers moving in the centre of the room.

Suddenly Harkness stopped. His eyes locked onto the form of John Hart, or perhaps it was Andy. Harkness kept looking, obviously intent on following the pair. Either he was impressed by the dancing or Harkness knew John Hart. Ianto guessed that Harkness was supposed to meet someone in Cardiff. He also knew that Hart sourced things for people. So, Ianto wondered, was he in the right place at the right time for a change? He looked at Hart for a moment, before turning back to check on Harkness. When their eyes met across the crowded room, both men felt something that only one of them understood.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ianto felt a shiver run through him as Jack Harkness kept his gaze. It became a battle to see who gave way first. In the end Harkness broke into a smile that would have melted the polar ice caps and turned away, to look once more at the dancers on the floor. Ianto knew he was blushing; he'd been caught looking at the man who he knew, if his reputation was correct, would be more than interested in a pretty face. He too turned to look at the dance floor where Andy and John Hart continued their dance. Ianto found himself wondering why it had become so important to him, to put the man behind bars. He was just another con man and Ianto had met plenty of them before. There was a movement in the booth as a body sat next to him. Ianto had to pull in the gasp that he wanted to emit when he realised that it was Jack Harkness who had joined him.

'Hi, my name's Jack. I couldn't help but notice that you were checking me out when I was at the bar, so I thought I'd come over and say hello. I wondered if you wanted some company, if you're here all alone.'

Ianto couldn't find any words for a moment, he was completely nonplussed. Perhaps this was a way to find out more about Harkness and what he was up to. Surely he could pretend to flirt with the man for a while. He looked up and saw that both Andy and John Hart were looking over. Hart seemed to be saying something but Ianto couldn't read his lips. He tried to think what he should try to say to Harkness.

'Nice to meet you, Jack. My name's Jones, Ianto Jones.' There was no point in lying about his name as he'd only get confused.

'Ianto! What is it with Welshmen and their funny names? And so many of them begin with I. Well, it's nice to meet you, Jones Ianto Jones. Do you come here often?'

Ianto laughed at the old pick up line. 'No, not that often. I'm usually dragged here by my friend Andy over there.'

'Oh sorry, are you two together?' Jack asked. 'I kind of assumed, from the way they were dancing, that they were together. They make a handsome couple, don't you think?'

'Andy's just a friend; I'm not with anyone at the moment...' He left the sentence open for the other man to interpret however he wanted. He felt Harkness move closer so that their thighs were touching.

'So Ianto, what do you do in this fair city? The accent and those lovely Welsh vowels tell me you're a local. Have you always lived in Cardiff?' Jack asked. He was intrigued to know what Ianto would say.

'I was born just down the M4 in Newport. I've lived in Cardiff for a while. I was in London a few years back but decided to come home as my family are here. I work in ICT; I organise systems for companies to do with security. I show them how their systems can be hacked into and then how to protect them.'

'Really,' Jack said, 'sounds fascinating' He was impressed that Ianto had come up with a believable job, just off the cuff.

'So what brings you to Cardiff, Jack? You don't sound as if you're from around here.'

'No, I'm here for various reasons. I did work in Cardiff for a while so I'm visiting some old friends. I have an antique shop and I'm hoping to find a few new pieces to sell in London. People will spend a fortune on things if you market them correctly.'

'Judging by the greatcoat you're a bit of a fan of antique clothing as well,' Ianto observed.

'Oh, this, yeah, it's original. It's been through the war; I have a reproduction one as well, but I find this one more comfortable. Still, it is quite warm in here.' Jack removed the coat. Underneath he was wearing a black waistcoat over a blue shirt. The trousers were black as well. 'Can I get you another drink?' Jack asked.

'Yeah, a beer would be good.'

Jack got up and his place was immediately filled by Andy. 'What the fuck are you playing at? That's Harkness!'

'I know. He came over to sit here and chat me up! What was I supposed to do?' Ianto asked him.

'Tell him you're straight and to get lost would have been the obvious choice!' Andy replied.

'I thought I'd let him flirt with me and see if I can find anything out. It can't do any harm. '

'Are you that stupid, Ianto? He could be dangerous! What if he finds out you're a copper?'

'What did you tell your little friend that we did?' Ianto asked.

'I didn't tell him anything, as it happens. I was otherwise distracted by him grinding his groin into my arse! Geez, that man can move!'

'Right then, we work in ICT security, okay?' Ianto said. He looked over to where Harkness was stood at the bar, talking to John Hart. He saw Hart push a beer mat towards Harkness, who put his beer on it and then, when he thought no one was looking, pocketed it. Mmm, obviously Harkness had hit on Hart as well. And Hart had given him his number. Or was there more to it?

Jack wasn't quite sure what to think really. It had been a surprise to see John Hart there on the dance floor. Then again thinking about it this was the sort of thing Hart would get involved in. Jack was just surprised to find him here on Earth. They hadn't exactly separated on good terms but part of him was pleased to see the man. Tomorrow he'd find out what was going on but for now they needed to treat each other as if they'd just met. Ianto would probably think Hart was hitting on him. He deliberately gave his best smile and nodded whilst briefly clasping Hart's hand.

Ianto watched as both men returned. Hart pushed in next to Andy as Jack came round and sat next to Ianto. Once more their thighs touched.

The rest of the evening was spent talking, drinking and dancing. Both Harkness and Hart were undoubtedly good company. They both had an easy line in chat and Ianto had to remind himself continually that both were possible criminals. As the music was loud, talking was often done up close, with Jack's breath touching Ianto's ear, cheek and neck on several occasions. Ianto also noticed both Andy and Hart's hands disappear under the table at times, as both men, what? Giggled? He knew his friend was smitten. He willed him to go slowly but Andy wasn't always sensible. At midnight, his friend was a bit tiddily. Jack and John had gone off to the toilet and Ianto tried to talk to Andy.

'You're going to take him home, aren't you?' he said to the other man. 'You were warning me earlier; he could be a crook as well. And you're a copper.'

'And he might just be who he says he is, Ianto. He's only here for a week or so and then he's off. It's been nearly four months since I've shagged anyone and I want him Ianto. I want to feel him touch me, kiss me and fuck me into the proverbial mattress! And, yes, I will take precautions! Anyway, I'm not the only one playing fast and loose! He fancies you, that's bloody obvious. And you, Ianto Jones, are playing him, and leading him on like a natural.'

The other men returned. Ianto wondered if they'd had chance to talk and what they'd talked about. Andy got up and took John Hart by the hand, 'We're out of here. I'll phone you in the morning, Ianto, I promise.'

Ianto watched as they crossed the room. Suddenly, he was aware he'd been left with Jack Harkness and that made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. He needed to get out of there.

'I think it's time for me to go too, Jack. I'm a bit tired.' He went to get up.

'Time for me to go as well, Ianto. I'll come out with you.'

They stood outside the club, waiting for the taxi Ianto had ordered. Jack said he was going to walk as his hotel wasn't far. As they waited a group of boisterous drunken lads came out. They started goading the bouncers, fists began to fly and Ianto felt himself being pushed forward as Jack crashed into him, and they ended up on the floor with Jack on top. Ianto saw a large lad was just about to land on top of them and spun Jack over until they got out of the way, leaving Ianto on top. The smell of the man underneath him, which he'd caught earlier in the evening, now threatened to overwhelm him. Ianto giggled as did Jack; he felt light-headed and giddy. He also felt something pressing into his thigh and then realised he had the same problem himself. Abruptly, the laughing stopped. They both got up. Ianto brushed himself down. He went to go but Jack pressed a card into his hand and smiled that devastating smile. Ianto wondered again what the hell he was feeling.

'Call me,' were Harkness' last words, as Ianto walked away, with some reluctance, towards the waiting taxi.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> John has some news for Jack.

Chapter 7

The next day Jack found himself sitting on a bench in the grounds of Cardiff Castle. Fortunately the weather was quite warm so Jack sat back with his coat unbuttoned and soaked up a few early morning rays. The gate had only just opened so very few people were about. Later, as it was the Sunday, the place would fill up with families and tourists. It was a good place to meet, in the open and yet private enough to talk. Jack doubted John would want to do the tour; it was going to be interesting to catch up with him. One thing was always true; John Hart was never boring.

As he looked around he remembered being here when it was first built. The Marquis of Bute has made his money from coal and he had more money than sense, or at least sense of style. The inside of the Victorian building was something to see. Jack preferred the old castle keep; it was good to know that there were things that had been in Cardiff longer than he had. As he waited for Hart to arrive he wondered if the other man would kiss him or punch him. Their relationship, such as it was, had lasted just two weeks but they’d been caught in a time loop for five years, five years of loving and fighting both of which they did with a passion. However, it was the sort of relationship that burned brightly for a short time and then blew itself out. Still, John was hard to ignore or forget. Then he saw him. He watched as John strode across the grass, ignoring the signs, towards him. Jack was pleased to see that he’d made some attempt to blend in and got rid of the jacket for something more contemporary. The immortal had to admit that his ex-lover looked good. He looked up as Hart stood in front of him, removed his sunglasses and then shielded his eyes to look at the man.

‘It’s good to see you again, John and you’re looking well,’ Jack said.

‘You too, Jack. I didn’t expect the contact would be you when I came for the meeting and was told to look for someone in a greatcoat. How come you’re mixed up in this? There’ve been rumours galore about where you went after the unfortunate incident.’

‘Oh, that would be the unfortunate incident when they took away my memories and my child and sent me to my execution! Thankfully my executioners were a nice couple; they kept in contact for ages. So how is the Time Agency? This is a bit of an odd job for you isn’t it looking for alien tech on behalf of a collector.’

‘Ah, Jack, there is no Time Agency anymore; they closed us down. There are only seven agents left now and as for what I’m doing, well I needed to lay low for a while after rehab and this little planet has lots of goodies to play with as I’m sure you know.’

‘You went to rehab?’ Jack asked incredulously.

‘Rehabs plural,’ John replied. ‘Sex, drugs, alcohol and murder!’

‘You went to murder rehab!’ Hart laughed. ‘Yeah I know; what’s a little killing between friends? So, Jack, what are you doing here?’

‘It’s a bit of a story. After all that happened with the Agency I ended up on Earth in 1942 trying to con someone into buying a Chula ambulance and I met a man.’ Hart raised an eyebrow.

‘No, not like that, well not at first and then only once.’ Hart looked at him. ‘We travelled together for a while and ended up in the future. He’s a Time Lord, the last of his kind. We met this race called the Daleks.’ Hart shuddered. ‘You’ve heard of them then?’ Jack asked.

‘Yeah, tin boxes with attitude!’ Hart confirmed.

‘Well, they killed me but there was a woman travelling with us called Rose. She brought me back to life but gave me too much life and so ……….. now I can’t die, ever. Every time I’m killed I just come back!’

‘WHAT!’ Hart looked him up and down as if he was suddenly seeing a different man.

‘You heard I can’t die; I’m immortal. I’m going to stay this young and handsome forever while you grow old and lose your hair. The main problem was that I didn’t know why I couldn’t die until I caught up with the Doctor again. I had to wait 180 years until our timelines met and he told me what had happened. In the mean time I had to find something to keep myself amused as my vortex manipulator burnt out. So, John, what have you been up to?

‘Oh, you know me Jack, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. This artefact you have on offer, what is it then? My client is a bit of a collector and he has money to burn.’

‘So now you’re not with the Time Agency you’re …….’

‘Working for yours truly! You’ve avoided my question, Jack; what do you have?’

‘A Chula warship, a real one!’ Jack replied. ‘And it’s in full working order.’

‘Really? That sounds interesting. I’ll let my client know. So Jack, I’m assuming that you know that your little friend from last night is a member of local law enforcement. It wouldn’t be like you to be so careless. I had a nosey around Andy’s flat in the dark while he was asleep. I gave him a little something to keep him that way. Mind you, I also gave him a night he won’t forget in a hurry. I have to say that he was good and ever so obliging. He has a great mouth and he was so willing to do anything I wanted.’

‘I hope you kept your little enhancements under control as they might have come as a bit of a surprise. You did treat him right didn’t you, John?’

‘I did actually; that boy shows promise. In fact I’m planning to see him again. It seems we’re both flirting with danger. So, was yours worth it then?’

‘I’ve no idea; I only met him last night and I didn’t want to go that far even though he has eyes to die for and an arse to match but he says he isn’t interested in men.’

‘That’d be a first; I’ve never met a man who didn’t want you, Jack. I’m sure that he’ll come round to your way of thinking if you want him to that is. You could always charm the birds from the trees. Jack, there’s something else I need to tell you.’ He took the other man’s hand almost tenderly. Jack wondered what the hell John had to say.

‘Please, John; you’re not going to declare your undying love are you? We’ve both moved on from there haven’t we?’ Jack was genuinely concerned as an ex time agent with a working vortex manipulator stalking him would cramp his style.

‘No Jack, although I’d never object to a quick shag for old time’s sake. I’ve a few new toys I could show you! No, Jack it’s not that….’ He hesitated. ‘It’s Gray!’

‘What! Don’t mess me around, John. Do you know where he is?’ Jack was in earnest now. Gray was his younger brother. They’d been parted when their parents had been killed at their settlement in the Boeshane Peninsular. They’d been orphaned and adopted by two separate couples. Jack’s heart had broken as his brother had screamed and Jack had finally had to let go of his brother’s hand, feeling Gray’s fingers pass through his. Both couples had made promises they didn’t keep. Jack’s foster parents had eventually looked for Gray but the other couple had left the planet and despite all of Jack’s efforts, including using the Time Agency’s resources, he’d never managed to trace his brother. The guilt had weighed heavily upon his shoulders.

‘Come on, John, tell me now. Believe me you’ve got my attention!’

‘There’s no easy way to say this Jack and I wish I had better news, I really do, but Gray is dead.’ Jack began shaking his head from side to side. ‘It couldn’t be true.’ John continued.

‘The family who took him went to Vega in the Degas system. They were attacked by Cybermen, Jack. The population were either killed or converted.’

Jack could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. He’d always clung onto the hope that Gray was alive and happy somewhere and now this. His voice was shaking with emotion and disbelief. ‘So Gray could have been converted not killed. Oh God, I’m not sure which one is worse.’

‘Either way Jack, he’s dead. I’m sorry, I know how much finding him meant to you. The rumour was that they came here after that. Something to do with our little tin friends I believe.’

‘Yeah,’ Jack confirmed. ‘It was a couple of years ago when the Doctor and I lost Rose. He was out of control for a while and he needed me. They destroyed Torchwood One.’ John’s head jerked up. ‘Torchwood? I seem to have heard that name somewhere before. Have you ever had anything to do with them? I know that there’s a rift here in Cardiff. I seem to remember that it’s Torchwood’s job to monitor the Rift.’

‘They do and I worked for them up until 2000, then I quit. Something bad happened and I couldn’t hack it anymore so I left. I did a bit of travelling before meeting up with the Doctor again at the end of time.’

‘Who exactly is this Doctor, Jack? He obviously means a lot to you,’ Hart said.

‘He’s the last living Time Lord and yes I love him. He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever known but I couldn’t stay with him and not be WITH him. He’s never got over Rose being taken into a parallel world. She’s always going to be the love of his life not me.’

‘You sound lonely, Jack and that’s not like you. I’m sorry about Gray; I know how hard you tried to find him. You can’t blame yourself; you were only a boy. There was nothing you could have done.’

‘What if he was one of the Cybermen who came here two years ago? Oh God, John I don’t think I can bear it.’

Despite the fact that they were in public John Hart enveloped his ex-lover in his arms as Jack sobbed into his shoulder. It was an arresting sight, one which Gwen Copper couldn’t help noticing. She nudged Rhys and pointed across the grounds at the two men.

‘Gwen, you’re not working now. I don’t think you can arrest them for hugging in a public place,’ her boyfriend said.

‘It’s not that; it’s the dark haired one. I think he’s that conman that Ianto’s after. He was in the café earlier in the week with another bloke and now he’s here. I wonder who the other man is as he’s definitely not the same one we all saw.’ Gwen got out her camera and passed it to Rhys.

‘Take some snaps of me and make sure that you get them in the background,’ she said.

Rhys did as he was told as Gwen laughed at him and stood in various poses making sure her back was to the two men. They looked at the shots. Gwen reckoned Ianto would be pleased when she showed him the photos. This must be Harkness’ contact but he was obviously much, much more than that.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Somehow Jack couldn't stop himself from coming back to this spot. He knew he'd have to wait a few days for John to sort out the contact. He'd thought about letting the other man in on the scam but John was unpredictable to say the least and Jack wasn't sure enough to risk it. His head was feeling a bit sore this morning and the breeze coming off the Bay made him feel better as he drank the coffee. He turned his face to the breeze and closed his eyes for a moment. Jack rarely drank but he'd put away a bottle of Glenmorangie the night before. The news John had given him about Gray had shaken him to the core. He hoped that Gray had been killed rather than converted. He hated the idea that his brother could have been inside one of the Cybermen who'd invaded two years ago. He knew that his brother would be dead either way but ….. He felt the tears beginning to sting his eyes.

Some way across the Plass two people were on their way back to work after lunch. Toshiko Sato and Owen Harper worked for UNIT but had been given the task of keeping an eye on the rift. They spent three days a week at the Hub usually, depending on what the rift predictor told them. They also kept the systems and specimens alive and functioning.

'Owen, look over there but don't look like you're looking,' Tosh said. 'Isn't that the same bloke who was sat there a few times last week?'

Owen glanced across. 'Well, it's hard to miss the greatcoat, my love and yeah it does look like him. Let's get in and have a look at CCTV and see if we can get any photo recognition.'

Once inside the Hub Tosh set to work trying to identify the man outside. She checked the CCTV footage and found a full on facial shot of him. Owen was down in the autopsy bay examining a female weevil that had been killed by UNIT the day before. They always killed them and Owen had begun to hate the way they operated. When he'd been recruited to UNIT it was because he hated all aliens after one had killed his fiancée, Katie. UNIT used him to perform experiments on those they captured before the bodies were killed and disposed of. His scalpel was hovering above the weevil's chest cavity when the alarm bells rang and lights began to flash. This wasn't unusual; it was often a signal that something had come through the rift but he knew nothing was due today. He went back up the stairs and saw Tosh staring at the information on her screen while she tried to shut down the alarms. Owen went up behind her. 'What the hell's happening?' he asked.

'Give me a minute while I get these shut down and let UNIT know it's a false alarm.' She kept pressing keys while Owen stared at the image on the screen. He'd been right; he did know the face of the man. 'Bloody hell, it's him isn't it? It's Captain Jack bloody Harkness.' By this stage the alarms had stopped and both of them stared at the image on the screen.

'D'you reckon its true what they say about him?' Tosh asked.

'Well, they say such a lot; he's a legend, Tosh. There are records about him going back to the 19th century. You don't want to know what they did to him back then according to the medical information.'

'So he is immortal then?' Tosh asked.

'Let's sit down. I think I need a drink,' Owen said. They got some coffee and sat on the bedraggled piece of furniture that passed as a sofa.

'Captain Jack Harkness is a bit of a pet interest of mine. God, I'd love to get my hands on him,' Owen said.

'From what I've heard he'd let you!' Tosh replied, raising her eyebrows.

'Don't worry, my angel, you know I only have eyes for you. Anyway, Alice Guppy and Emily Holroyd, two Torchwood agents, found him and let's say they tested him. In the records it says that they killed him over and over again using every method they could think of, from shooting him to poisoning him. Every time he came back to life. They did everything bar blow him up into pieces. It seems he can't die or rather stay dead, so he's been kicking around Earth since at least the 1890s. There's stuff about him being connected with the Doctor as well. He's a pretty colourful character. There are rumours that he's from the future and was brought here by the Doctor.'

'I hear he has an interesting personal history as well. I've checked Owen, and the only Captain Jack Harkness on record ever was a World War Two pilot who was killed. Could that have been him as well or simply where he got his name? His sexual activity is also legendary. It seems he'll sleep with anyone or thing as long as its gorgeous enough and now he's sat on a bench outside his old workplace. D'you think he wants to come back after what happened in 2000?

'That was awful; I wonder why he did it. Obviously he couldn't kill Jack so he left him to sort out the bodies. This Alex blew his head off in front of the Captain. We should report him,' Owen said.

'Sounds to me like you don't want to,' Tosh said.

'I'd like to get to talk to him first. I wonder if he would. Perhaps he'd like a visit for old time's sake,' Owen said. 'What d'you think? Should we see what he wants, Tosh? He must have some reason to be there.'

'Okay Owen, we'll keep this to ourselves for now. Just let me check the CCTV.' She looked at the screen. 'Yeah, he's still there. Come on let's use the lift, it'll be quicker.'

'Any excuse,' Owen said as he held her close and kissed her until they emerged into the Plass, only becoming visible when they stepped off. They walked up behind the Captain and sat either side of him. Owen spoke first.

'It's good to meet you at last, Captain Harkness.' Jack looked at each of them in turn. 'I wondered how long it would take you. I assume I have the pleasure of meeting Toshiko Sato and Dr Owen Harper and if I'm not mistaken, you're Torchwood.'


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ianto was at the coffee machine at 1.45 Monday afternoon pouring a large mug for himself when Andy came in. He leaned against the wall.

'I expected you to call me yesterday,' Ianto said handing him the mug.

'Sorry, I didn't get out of bed until after midday and I wasn't really capable of speech or anything else much.'

'I'm assuming that your new friend stayed over then,' Ianto enquired. He'd worried when Andy hadn't phoned but the man was a grown up and Ianto had had other things on his mind.

'Well, he disappeared in the early hours while I was asleep but he left me a note and his card and said to ring him later today.' Andy looked dreamily into the distance for a minute and sighed.

'I assume it was a satisfactory encounter then, not that I want the details.' Andy smirked. 'Oh believe me it was! I swear that man had more than two hands and what he could do with his tongue!' He winked at Ianto who was sort of screwing his face up a little. 'I'm still finding it a little uncomfortable to sit down! I swear he didn't look that big but bloody hell ….'

'Thanks Andy, I think I'm up to the too much information stage now. So are you going to ring him then?' Ianto asked.

'Oh yeah, I don't imagine this is going to be a lifetime commitment but I'm not passing up the chance to have sex like that again. You should try it, Ianto. How long's it been since you did? You can't go on mourning Lisa forever; she wouldn't want it. Two years is a long time to live like a monk. Perhaps you should consider your options; Harkness obviously fancied you on Saturday night.'

'Andy, he's a conman and thief and I'm a copper or did you forget that?' Ianto replied, somewhat exasperated. 'And in case you've also forgotten, I'm not interested in men!'

'I thought you'd decided to flirt a bit with this Harkness guy to see what you can find out,' Andy reminded him.

'Well, he did give me his card and told me to call him, so perhaps I'll do that.' Ianto thought back to lying on Jack and how he'd felt and how his body had reacted. He'd spent most of the previous day thinking about that. He'd even put on one or two selected films to test his reactions and his mind kept bringing him back to Jack bloody Harkness and his smile and the feel of his erection pressing into his thigh, knowing that the other man must have been perfectly aware that he was experiencing the same reaction himself. How had that happened? Last night he'd dreamed about him and he'd woken up in rather a mess. He shook himself. Perhaps Andy was right; maybe he should try to find himself a nice woman. Gwen kept trying to introduce him to women, not to mention his sister Rhiannon. He fingered Harkness' card in his pocket. Maybe he'd call; it didn't mean anything did it? He was just doing his job that's all. He just wanted to get information from the man and he was good company after all. Perhaps he should invite him out for a drink. As long as he flirted a bit it would be alright. At least he might be able to find out more about him as all his research had proved fruitless. There was only one Captain Jack Harkness listed in the records and he'd died in World War Two, so the name was obviously a fake.

'Come on, Andy; time to do some work, detective constable. No doubt Munroe will have something for us to do and I've got paperwork to clear.'

They entered the room as Jock Munroe was passing out assignments for the shift. It was the usual round of investigations. There had been a series of break-ins in the Roath Park area. Ianto took the job and Andy joined him at the house of the latest victim. When they arrived they found the uniformed police already there. Gwen Copper was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking tea and taking a statement from the woman owner.

'So, Gwen, what've we got then?' Ianto asked as Andy looked around.

'It's the same pattern, Ianto, a smashed back window. The garden has a high fence which stopped anyone seeing him but this time Mrs Carter came home and interrupted him. He was upstairs and pushed her over, making his escape. She didn't get much of a look as he was wearing a hoodie and his face was covered. She did say he was white and local; he had a Cardiff accent. He told her to get out of the way as he left.'

'Thanks, Gwen. I'll get SOCO but I doubt he left any prints. Could you get us a list of what's missing and thanks for doing the tea and sympathy.'

Andy came downstairs. 'It's a bit of a mess up there. It looks like he was after the small portable stuff as normal. Did she keep any cash here?'

'Gwen's talking to her. Let control know will you and then we can get out of here and check on the usual suspects who fence this kind of stuff.' Ianto returned to Gwen. 'Have we any ideas on what is missing?' he asked.

'Yeah, she went upstairs after she called us and there's jewellery missing and some other small stuff. I'm writing the list now.'

'Thanks Gwen, can you drop it in when you've finished and we'll see what we can match and we can go over her statement. Right, I'll leave you to it.'

'Ianto, I need to show you something. Let's go out into the garden a minute.' Gwen grabbed his arm and began to pull him towards the door.

'What is it, Gwen? We are busy,' Ianto said impatiently.

'You'll want to see this, Ianto I promise you. It concerns your favourite conman,' Gwen explained. Now Ianto was interested. 'What is it, Gwen?'

'Well, Rhys and I went to Cardiff Castle on Sunday for a day out and Jack Harkness was there, sat on a bench, but he wasn't alone. I got Rhys to take some photos so my back was towards them. Anyway, this is one of the photos; they make a handsome pair!' She handed over the photo and Ianto felt his jaw drop. There, sat on the bench next to Harkness, was the man who'd bedded Andy Saturday night. They'd given no indication that they knew each other and yet there they were. So perhaps the beer mat had been more than an exchange of numbers. Ianto wondered was Hart the contact? He said he found things for people so was he the middle man to the buyer? Bloody hell what was he going to tell Andy? He had no idea if his friend had told Hart that they were police. Shit, everything could have already gone pear shaped.

'Thanks, Gwen that's really good work and quick thinking. This might be his contact. This'll really help and yes, if we get him, I will mention your name as I know you're interested in CID work.' Ianto needed to get out and speak to Andy.

'Ianto, there's more. This one only shows them sitting next to each other. They seemed close; at one point they were hugging each other and Harkness looked really upset.'

Ianto mumbled another thanks. He left Gwen standing there and grabbed Andy on the way out. 'With me now quickly!' he said. Andy made his apologies and followed Ianto into the car.

'What's up?' he asked.

'Not here. Let's go somewhere. I need to show you something.' Ianto shifted the car into gear. They ended up parked across Roath Park near a take away van. The smell of the onions was intoxicating and made Ianto's mouth water which was just as well as having seen the photo he felt completely dry. He wasn't sure how he was going to break it to Andy.

'Okay Ianto, what is it? You look like you've seen a ghost!' It seemed simplest just to hand him the photo. Andy looked at it and then he looked at Ianto.

'I know Andy; it's your boyfriend meeting with Harkness. Gwen spotted them yesterday morning by chance. It seems that our two friends knew each other. Gwen said that Harkness seemed to be upset and that Hart was hugging him at one point. It seems like they fooled us on Saturday night. As we were there they obviously didn't have much chance to talk so they met up the day after. Shit, Andy, do you think he knows that you're CID?'

'Well, I didn't tell him but I suppose he could have found my badge in my pocket if he was looking and there is that photo of us and the others in uniform that's in the spare room but he might not be able to pick us out. Shit, I could have blown it couldn't I; but I wasn't to know, Ianto. D'you think they might have known about us already?'

'I don't know Andy, but we've got to decide what to do. You can't sleep with him again …..'

'But he doesn't have to be a crook does he? He's just the middle man. He could be legit. Ianto, I like him and God, the sex was fantastic. Couldn't I just pretend I don't know and see him anyway; I might be able to find out something about what it is they are selling. And what about you? D'you think Harkness knew that you're a cop and deliberately targeted you on Saturday?'

'There's only one way to find out,' Ianto said taking the card out of his pocket. 'I need to see him again.' He pulled out his phone and rang the number. Harkness picked up immediately.

'Hi, Jack, it's Ianto, Ianto Jones from Saturday night. You said to call you. Well, here I am calling you. I wondered if you fancied a drink tomorrow. I can't do tonight because I'm working but I'm free tomorrow. Dinner?' Ianto swallowed as this was getting a bit too much like a date. 'Okay Bellini's in the Bay at 8. I'll see you there.' He ended the call.

'Ianto, do you know what you're doing? You told me to stay away from Hart but you've just agreed to go on a date with a conman. You're playing with fire, Ianto.'

'I know; I'll just have to be careful that I don't get burned won't I!'


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Jack closed his phone. 'Sorry about that,' he said. Tosh and Owen were grinning at each other.

'What?' Jack asked. 'Oh, I see my reputation has gone before me has it? Well, as you can see I can do dates and he is very handsome. I hope he looks as good in a suit as he does in jeans and he looks spectacular in them! Right, where were we? Oh yeah, we were trying to discover who was interrogating who?'

Tosh laughed. 'Yeah and I'm not sure either of us is getting very far!'

'Well, I know who you are and that you're together and may I say you make a lovely couple. You, Toshiko are a computer genius. I've checked your work on that rift activity predictor and it's fantastic. I wish we'd had one; it would have made our lives so much easier. So what I don't know is why you ended up in a UNIT cell, even if only for a short time.'

'I stole something because my mother had been kidnapped by a gang. I was caught and UNIT locked me up. When they realised I had potential they released me on licence. Owen here examined me to make sure I wasn't mad, bad or dangerous. So they've him to blame.'

'And,' Jack continued, 'how does a doctor working in a general hospital end up working for UNIT; they usually train their own unless you're someone really special.' He could see Owen's pained expression. 'It's okay; you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.'

'No,' Owen said, 'UNIT recruited me after my fiancée, Katie was killed by an alien which had lodged in her brain. The whole team operating on her was killed. At first I really didn't want to believe what they were telling me but the proof was there in front of me. After that I was ready to test, experiment on or kill any alien put in front of me. It took Tosh to show me the error of my ways. We found out about this place and asked if we could keep it going and so here we are. But now, what about you, Captain? If what we've found is to be believed you've an interesting history. So is it true? Can you really not die, because otherwise there are some very convincing faked photographs and documents in the archives?'

Jack didn't know how much to admit but there was no point in lying about being immortal. 'Yeah, it's true I can't die or I can't stay dead.'

'How does it feel?' Owen asked. 'Do you feel every death and what it's like to come back? If you get injured do you just heal?'

'Owen!' Tosh said. 'Jack may not want to talk about that.'

'Once a doctor always a doctor,' Jack said. 'You wouldn't be the first medic to ask me those questions or to want to get their hands on me, for a variety of reasons.' Jack gave them his trade mark smile. 'Okay, yes I feel every death and when I come back its like every part of me is dragged over shards of glass. Injuries vary. When I do come back it's with the original factory setting. Injuries repair but it's not always instant; it depends on the injury. Don't ask me to explain how this happened. The Doctor did try to explain but it was just an accident that was never meant to happen.'

'What's he like really?' Tosh asked. 'I did meet him briefly in London once. He changes doesn't he?'

'Yes he regenerates. This is his tenth regeneration. I think you'd have met my first Doctor. The new one is a bit less grumpy and he has a better coat and better hair; in fact he has great hair!'

'It sounds like you're close,' Tosh said.

'We were for a while but, well, it's complicated. I still see him regularly but we don't travel together anymore. So Torchwood, you two just keep it ticking over then and warn UNIT about anything that comes through.'

'Yeah, basically Tosh does all the monitoring and has begun to go through the mess that is the archives and I do the medical and botanical research. There's stuff we don't understand in this place and there's a locked area. Even UNIT has left it alone, just in case. Do you know what's in there, Jack?'

'Yes I know what the things in there do but you're wise to leave it shut. Some things are too dangerous to play with.'

'We could really use your help, Jack. If you came back you could run Torchwood properly. It's been eight years now,' Owen said. 'What d'you think? Could you come back?'

Jack sat quietly for a moment. 'The honest answer is I don't know. Part of me wants to come back and to be truthful having you two on my team would be great, but its not that simple. There are other things going on. I'd like to keep in touch with you but I could do with UNIT being kept in the dark.'

There was a sudden beeping form Tosh's computer. 'Weevil alert,' Tosh said. 'If we get there first we can try to get it alive. Owen wants to study their behaviour. We have a male downstairs called Brad. Perhaps this will be Janet. Fancy coming, Jack. I'd be good to get your experience.'

'Okay it's been a while. I'll come along for the ride. What do you use these days? Still the SUV?'

'Yeah it's parked in the garage,' Owen said.

Driving to the scene Jack asked a lot of questions. It seemed that the weevils had been restless of late and more aggressive resulting in UNIT killing them not returning them to the sewers they usually occupied.

'So how do you run this?' Jack asked. 'Do you have a specific police liaison officer? That usually makes it easier.'

'Yes we do. He'll probably be at the site sorting out just in case we need to do any damage limitation. We also have some retcon we can use.'

At their destination they got out of the car. Jack hung back a bit as Tosh and Owen walked over to the group of police officers, some uniformed and some not. Jack leaned against the other side of the car not wanting to advertise his presence. Then he heard Tosh's voice.

'Jack I thought I'd introduce you to our police liaison officer. He decides if weevils are involved. Jack came out from the back of the SUV and came face to face with someone familiar.

'Captain Jack Harkness this is DC Andy Davidson. He helps on these occasions and keeps us informed. Only Chief Super Swanson knows what he really does.'

'So, Andy, you're a police officer. Funny you didn't mention that on Saturday night!' Tosh and Owen looked at each other. Andy had to think quickly. 'No I don't advertise it as people can get a little funny about it and being a gay police officer can cramp my style. So I say I work in an office and keep it simple.'

'And is Ianto an officer too?' Jack asked, just to twist in the knife.

'No!' Andy said. 'We were just old school friends out for a drink.' Jack saw Owen touch Tosh's arm when she was obviously about to speak.

'So where's this weevil then?' he asked.

'Oh yeah, it's over there. It hasn't attacked anyone so just deal with it would you?' Andy said. It was clear that he wanted to get away.

'Jack let's go,' Owen said. 'We'll show you the new spray I've developed and you can help us get it back to the Hub. Okay Andy, we'll sort it from here.'

They were walking away when Jack turned and said, 'oh yeah tell Ianto to wear a suit for our date and I'm really looking forward to it.' Jack winked and turned around as Andy was left standing there.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The female weevil was captured and transported back to the Hub. Jack asked to be dropped off in town. 'Got to get something to wear for my date,' he explained. 'I'll see you two again I hope.'

'Yeah, we'd like that,' Tosh said, 'and think about what we said, Jack. Sometime the world is going to need you and you won't be there.' Jack's face clouded over for a moment and then the smile returned. 'Have fun with Janet!' Then he disappeared into the crowd of teatime shoppers.

As Owen drove off Tosh immediately spoke the words she'd not uttered earlier. 'Did I hear right? Did he say Ianto to Andy? Does that mean his date is Andy's Sergeant Ianto Jones, but he's not gay is he? Isn't he the one whose girlfriend died in Torchwood 1 when the Cybermen came? You told me that Ianto found her half converted and that he killed her because she would never recover.' Owen's face was grim. 'Yeah he's the one. I wish things had been different but I did what I did for the best, as well as being ordered to retcon those six officers who got in. I had to give him the treatment; he was already almost catatonic when we found him still holding the cushion over her face. Without the retcon he wouldn't have coped. Now he believes the official story.'

'I don't blame you, Owen. I know you did what you had to do but what an earth is going on. Why is Ianto keeping quiet about being a police officer to Jack?'

'I don't know Tosh, but Ianto must have his reasons and let's face it we've no idea what Jack's been involved in for the last eight years. Andy will warn Ianto if he needs to. Come on let's get Janet back to her new home and see how she likes Brad.'

That evening, at the end of their shift, Andy finally got to talk to Ianto. 'Look, Ianto you can't seriously be thinking of going tomorrow. What if he knows we're coppers?' Andy had been told that he couldn't tell Ianto and he couldn't tell Swanson what Ianto was up to. He was caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

'There's no reason to think that Harkness knows is there. If he did surely he'd stay away from me. I'm going to do this whether you want me to or not,' Ianto replied firmly.

The next evening at 7.55 precisely Ianto Jones found himself dressed to kill stood outside Bellini's Restaurant. He had chosen what he was wearing very carefully and spent ages making sure his hair looked right. His suit was a grey three piece matched with a purple shirt and grey tie. You could have served dinner off his shoes, they were so clean and shiny. He fingered the pocket watch his grandfather had given him in the small pocket of his waistcoat while he waited outside. He wondered about going in when a taxi pulled up. Jack Harkness stepped out and Ianto found himself breathing in quickly. Jack had chosen a midnight blue three piece with a pale blue shirt and tie that matched the suit. His hair managed to look unstyled but completely in control as if his fingers had just run through it. The blue of his shirt reflected in the blue of his eyes and then he smiled and Ianto felt his knees buckle.

'Fuck!' Ianto thought. 'What was going on in his head not to mention his body? Come on Jones, you know why you're here and it's not to get your end away.' Then it hit him. 'How the hell had he got to the stage when he would even be thinking about that?' Before he could consider it Jack Harkness was in front of him.

'Nice suit,' he said. 'Shall we go in?'

'Yeah, I've not eaten all day so I'd be ready for this,' Ianto said. 'It's been a while since I was here. The food was good as I remember.' As they went in Ianto felt Jack place his hand on his back to guide him in. they were taken to the table and given menus.

'D'you mind if we don't drink,' Ianto asked. 'I'm in work early tomorrow so I'm happy with just water.'

'Suits me,' Jack replied. They ordered fizzy water and then looked at the menus.

'So what d'you fancy?' Jack asked. 'Are you a starter man or a dessert man or perhaps you're both if you've not eaten anything?'

'I tend to eat starters,' Ianto replied, 'but I'm not adverse to the concept of afters!' Ianto knew that he'd laced that with as much innuendo as he could muster. Jack suppressed a snigger which he turned into a cough. 'So that's the game we're playing is it, Ianto Jones!'

'Well let's have starters and then decide what's on the menu for afters later, shall we?' he replied and was rewarded with the sight of Ianto not quite controlling his blushing, especially as Jack had just reached out one foot and ran it down the inside of Ianto's right leg.

Collecting himself Ianto decided on the mussels and Jack joined him in that choice. For mains Jack decide on the lobster tortellini and Ianto stuck to lasagne. There was no way he wanted to be sucking up spaghetti opposite Jack Harkness.

'Shall we have garlic bread as well?' Jack asked.

'No reason not to as I won't be going home to snog anyone will I?'

After Jack had ordered Ianto decided to get in first with the questions. 'So, Jack, you're not from around here. I'm guessing from the accent, America?'

'You're perfectly correct I was brought up in the US but I've travelled all over the place in my time. However, I like Cardiff and I seem to find myself being drawn back here from time to time. I think it's those lovely Welsh vowels you have around here; I'm a sucker for them. And you, have you always lived here? I seem to remember you saying you were local.'

'I have more or less. My Dad was a tailor. We moved to Cardiff from Newport. I went to university in London and got a job working there for a while but then I decided to come back home and here I am again.'

The mussels came and they placed them in one bowl in the centre and gave them plates each.

'So anything in particular bring you back here after all as lovely as Cardiff is it's not the steaming metropolis that is London.'

They each began dipping their hands into the bowl to pick up the mussels. Ianto deliberately avoided any chance of contact.

'Well, my family are all here so it's good that I get to see them more now. My fiancée was killed in an accident at work.' Forgetting for a moment Ianto's hand lingered long enough for Jack to take hold of it. For a moment their eyes met and Ianto struggled to keep control of his emotions.

'That must have been an awful time for you,' Jack said.

'Yeah it was. It's been nearly two years now.'

It hadn't taken much research for Jack to find out about Lisa, if you knew where to look. She'd been caught up in the hushed up attacked on the Canary Wharf building occupied by Torchwood. The Doctor had managed to contain the damage caused by the Cybermen and taken them into the void. He wondered how much Ianto knew or if he'd just been given the official story. Ianto withdrew his hand.

'So have you any family yourself, Jack?' Ianto asked trying to change the subject and ignore the signals of interest his body was currently displaying, thankfully under the table.

'I don't think so. My parents aren't alive and my brother died a while ago. I hope I haven't left any offspring scattered anywhere.' Jack could only wonder what had happened to his baby the Time Agency had taken along with his memories. They finished the mussels and the waiter took away the plates.

'So what is it your doing here, Jack? Are you looking for antiques in Wales? Is that why you're here? Do you have a shop in London?'

Jack knew he couldn't be specific because Ianto could check up on any shop easily. 'I sort of look for antiques for a variety of shops in London. I buy them cheap and sell them on.'

'I hope that doesn't mean that you fleece old ladies out of their precious heirlooms to make a fast buck. That makes you sound like a conman; you're not a conman are you, Jack!' Ianto said pointedly, looking Jack directly in the eyes. It was the older man who looked away first, fortunately distracted as the main courses arrived and the moment was lost.

'So Ianto, I believe you said that you did something in ICT,' Jack said changing the subject once more.

'Yeah, it's not very exciting. So what do you do for fun, Jack, other than picking up strange men in bars?'

'You're not that strange are you, Ianto Jones, or do you have some interesting secret you're keeping from me?' Jack raised an eyebrow.

'Oh I think we both probably have our secrets, Jack. I think only time will tell whether we'll find out what they are if you're still interested that is?'

Ianto once again felt Jack's foot stroking his leg. He began to wonder just how far he was prepared to go to find out more about the other man.

'I think we can assume that I'm interested for now,' Jack assured him. 'So are you up for some afters then?'

'No not tonight,' Ianto replied trying to suggest that Jack wasn't getting in his pants that easily, 'but I'd love a coffee. I seem to remember that they manage to make a decent one here.'

'Let me guess,' Jack said. 'Espresso, no sugar. You look like a man who appreciates a good strong taste!'

When the waiter came back Ianto ordered the coffee for them both. They talked about books for a while and films, finding they shared a love of spy films, especially James Bond. It was suddenly the end of the evening and time to go. Ianto suggested that they share a taxi as Jack's hotel was beyond his house. He thought this would mean that Jack wouldn't invite him in for a night cap. When they arrived at Ianto's Jack insisted on walking him to the door. They stood inside the front porch out of sight of the taxi as Ianto put his key into the door.

'We should do this again, Ianto. Perhaps a club at the weekend as I'm likely to be busy for the rest of the week.'

'Me too,' Ianto replied. 'But a club sounds good.'

He felt Jack close the space between them but held his position. Jack leant in and tentatively pressed their lips together. Ianto found himself against the door but responding to the kiss as Jack's tongue pushed forward exploring. Ianto felt Jack's arousal pushing into him and knew that Jack would be aware of his. He had to stop this. Abruptly he pushed Jack back.

'I can't, I'm sorry. I have to go. I'll call you, I will.' With that he pushed the door open and shut it leaving Jack stood smiling on the doorstep and Ianto leaning on the inside of the door, breathing heavily. Jack whistled to himself as he returned to the taxi sure that whatever Ianto's reasons for going out with him, Jack didn't really care. He just knew, that at some point, Ianto Jones was going to be worth it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack makes a shocking discovery. Just to add that there are some sexual words and thoughts in this. Sorry Ianto can't seem to stop thinking about Jack!

Jack makes a shocking discovery. Just to add that there are some sexual words and thoughts in this. Sorry Ianto can't seem to stop thinking about Jack!

Chapter 12

Back at his hotel Jack Harkness sang to himself as he prepared for bed. 'He'd shower in the morning,' he thought. Hart had promised to call as soon as the meeting with Romanski was set up. Jack knew what he had to do; he'd done it before, even to the extent of bedding the person if necessary. He tended to keep those sorts of details from the Doctor. He got into bed, laid his head on the pillow and pulled the duvet over him. Jack stared at the ceiling for a while. He knew he needed to be careful. There was no doubt that Ianto Jones was getting to him in a way that no-one had for a long time. There was just something about the man. He lifted the duvet and commented, 'and you can keep out of this. You've got me into enough trouble already!'' He turned onto his side and closed his eyes hoping for sleep.

Ianto Jones also lay with his eyes open staring at the ceiling. He'd showered before bed to try to calm down and regain some composure. He kept reminding himself of two things; firstly, he was a policeman out to catch a conman and Jack Harkness was that conman and secondly he was straight. Well, there was that time but he'd been drunk so it didn't count. So if he was straight why did he respond to Jack kissing him? Why did he want to feel his hands on his skin? Why was he lying there wondering what Harkness looked like naked? Would he have a hairy chest? What would it feel like to have those lips kissing him all over? Almost unconsciously Ianto moved his hand lower. He knew he was hard; his body ached to be touched by someone. It had been nearly two years since he'd felt someone's bare skin next to his. He'd not so much as looked at another woman in all that time but here he was, stroking himself, thinking about Jack's smile, Jack's touch and Jack's lips wrapped around his cock. Minutes later Ianto found himself reaching for tissues for the second time because he'd been thinking about Jack bloody Harkness.

The next day Jack woke up with a start as his phone blasted out Tom Jones; well he was in Wales!

'Jack, is that you?' he heard John Hart ask.

'Yeah John, it's me,' Jack replied.

'The client wants to meet to see what you have to offer. Where are you keeping it? We'll meet you there.'

'No need,' Jack said. 'Give me an address and I'll bring it to him. Just imagine his surprise when an invisible Chula warship suddenly materialises over his lawn. This afternoon would be better as the Doctor will need to make sure that UNIT is blocked from tracking us.'

'I'll see what I can do, Jack. Ever the showman, eh? Romanski's going to love it and you, I suspect; he has a thing for men in uniforms!'

The phone clicked off; Jack showered and ordered breakfast in his room. Forty minutes later Hart rang with a time and place. 'I'll see you there then,' Jack said. He called the Doctor. After eating a quick breakfast Jack ordered a taxi and then walked the rest of the way to the warehouse. The Doctor was waiting for him at the warehouse. It had been a few days since he'd seen the man but he looked different, happier somehow.

The door of the TARDIS opened and a woman stepped out. 'Hi, I'm Donna,' the red head said, 'and you must be Captain Jack. He said you were handsome – and he was right!'

Jack flashed a puzzled look at the Doctor. 'Doc, I thought you were travelling alone after Rose and Martha, and the... umm.. complications?' Jack said. Donna looked at him then back at the Doctor.

'Oh there's nothing like that going on here! We're just mates. This isn't the first time we've met. The first time I helped him deal with a giant arachnid after he'd stopped my wedding! We sort of ran into each other again. We've just sorted out these little creatures made of fat; did you not hear about it?'

'Me? Sorry, no, I've been busy,' Jack said, 'Anyway, Doc, I've got to get this thing moved. Our client is most anxious to see it. Have you done your magic?'

'Yes, Jack, I've made sure UNIT won't pick it up. If you fly in normal aircraft lanes, you'll be fine. It's probably best not to land it though. Just show him the merchandise then bring it back to me. I should be able to drop the TARDIS inside his house quickly, so you can give him the full surprise package and ask to see what else he's got!'

'And I suppose I get to see what a devastating smile and a great arse can achieve, if he's so inclined?'

Donna's jaw dropped. 'Why are all the handsome ones gay?' she asked.

'Oh, he's not gay, Donna. Let's just say that 51st century guys like to fill their dance cards with all possible options!'

They spent some time checking that the plan would work including using the internet to get a look at Romanski's estate.

'Time to go, Jack,' the Doctor said eventually. 'I'll meet you back here when you bring the ship. And take care. You know these Russians; they tend to have plenty of fire power!'

Jack looked back as he went to close the warship door. 'Yeah, but I'm the guy who can't die, Doc, aren't I?'

Jack sat himself in the pilot seat and flicked the switches. Lights came on all over the craft. 'Morning, computer. I'm programming our destination point, altitude and setting up voice recognition. You can address me as Captain!'

'Thank you, Captain. The co-ordinates and instructions have been logged. Is there anything else you require?'

'Perhaps later. For now let's negotiate our way out of here and get this show on the road.'

'As you wish, Captain,' the computer replied.

Jack heard the engines come on; that familiar throb felt wonderful. The last time he'd piloted one of these was during World War II, when he'd first met the Doctor. He remembered how impressed Rose had been, as he revealed the ship parked alongside Big Ben. The screen allowed him to watch, as land whizzed by beneath him. At this speed they'd be there in a few minutes. He texted Hart to get Romanski outside immediately.

A couple of minutes later both the ship and the Russian were in place. Jack could see the huge estate below and uncloaked the ship, letting it hover above the wide expanse of lawn. He flew it up and down, getting as near to the house as he could. He noticed a few armed guards scattered around the place, but there were only three men stood at the front of the house. After 15 minutes of showboating Hart texted the Russian's interest in acquiring the ship for his collection. Jack let Hart know that he would return soon. Ten minutes later, the Doc having actually got it right this time, landed the TARIS safely and Jack stepped out into the huge foyer of the house.

He walked out of the front door and stood just behind the three men.

'I assume everything is to your satisfaction, Sir,' he said as they turned around.

'What the hell...?' Romanski said, with a discernible Russian accent. 'How did you do that? This place has guards and alarms!'

'That's what makes me special, Mr Romanski!'

The Russian looked at Hart. 'Oh he's special, Alexei!' Hart confirmed. 'I can vouch for that.'

Jack flashed yet another of his winning smiles and then turned to the younger man next to the Russian. 'And you are?' he asked. As he said it, part of him waited to be told off by the Doctor.

The young man replied, 'Alonso Frame. I'm Mr Romanski's personal assistant and run his household needs.'

'Nice to meet you, Alonso,' he said, winking. 'I'm sure you're good at catering for anyone's needs!'

Frame blushed a deep scarlet at the obvious innuendo. Jack knew that at some point he'd have to introduce Alonso to the Doctor, as he knew he'd just love the name.

'So what are you prepared to pay for a Chula warship in full working order then, Mr Romanski? I hear you have a pretty interesting collection. Is there any chance of me having a look? I'm pretty knowledgeable about this stuff. I've travelled extensively. I might be able to help you identify anything you're not sure of.'

Romanski thought for a moment weighing up the pros and cons before saying, 'Yes, I think that might be an excellent plan, Mr Harkness.'

'It's Captain, actually,' said Jack.

Hart smiled and said, 'Shall we go? Perhaps Alonso here could get us some refreshments?'

The young man was sent off and Jack followed Romanski to the lift, accompanied by John Hart. The lift went down a few floors and when they emerged, it was into a huge space, filled with all sorts of artefacts. Jack let out an involuntary whistle. 'You have been busy, Sir!'

They began to walk down the room, past case after case. Jack made a mental note of anything of interest. 'Shit, the man had a resurrection gauntlet.' He'd always wondered if they came in pairs. That would have to go!

There were various bits of ships and even a Dalek eye piece in one case. There was another containing what looked like marbles. Jack knew that if you implanted these properly they gave you second sight! Another case had a beautiful green stone pendant; Romanski stopped and took it out.

'We got this from a rather beautiful woman, in exchange for some sort of device she said was a transporter.' Jack watched as Romanski put it over his head. The immortal's shields went up immediately, as he felt Romanski try to dig around in his mind. Alonso chose that moment to appear with a tray of refreshments.

'Yes, Alonso, you're right. The Captain is totally shaggable!' Romanski said laughing.

The young man blushed for a second time, even as far as his rather impressive ears. Romanski turned his attention back to Jack. 'Interesting,' he said, rather cryptically while looking at Jack. 'I can't tell you how helpful this has been in helping me make lots of money.'

Jack took a glass and Alonso poured in the lemonade; it was delicious.

'Now,' Romanski said, 'I'm going to show you the prize in this collection. We have this one in top security,'

Jack swallowed the rest of the liquid and followed the Russian to the end of the corridor. Romanski pressed a button and the metal shield rose up. Jack felt the blood leave his face; he swallowed several times, almost grabbing Hart for support. There, strapped into a vertical frame, was a Cyberman! He knew he had to get himself under control.

'What's that? A robot?' he asked. He couldn't take his eyes from the horror in front of him.

'We don't know much,' Romanski explained. 'It was scavenged from the ruins of the Torchwood HQ in London. It was broken but we think we almost have it working now, don't we, Dr Tanizaki?' A small Japanese man emerged from a side room within the display case. 'Yes, Mr Romanski, I believe we will have it working soon.'

Jack looked at John Hart, whose face was as pale as the Captain's. Jack had to get out of there. 'Well, this has been very interesting, Mr Romanski. The price is £15 million. I'll be expecting Mr Hart to contact me by, shall we say, next Monday?'

'That will be fine. I'll let you know by then, Captain Harkness.'

Jack watched as the metal wall slid down again. He needed to see the Doctor – and he needed to see him now! If there was any chance that the Cyberman was alive, then the whole world was in danger!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More shocks for Ianto – just a little chapter

Chapter 13

It seemed oddly ordinary to ring for a taxi to get himself back to the Doctor. John wanted to take him back to Cardiff but Jack didn’t want to talk now so Hart had dropped him just past the gate before he returned to where he was staying. The taxi dropped Jack back at his hotel and he used his own car to get to the warehouse. The TARDIS was open and Jack could hear the Time Lord and Donna talking inside. He hurried in flinging back the door.

‘Doc, we’ve got a problem. This Romanski has a Cyberman in his collection!’ Jack stood waiting to see how the Doctor would react to his news.

‘What! What!’ the Doctor cried. ‘How could he have?’

‘What’s a Cyberman?’ Donna asked.

‘He says it was scavenged from Torchwood 1. It isn’t operational at the moment but he’s got this Dr Tanizaki working on it and he says he’s not far off getting it functioning.’

‘Right,’ said the Doctor, trying to take in the information. ‘This changes all our plans. We’ve got to get in there and destroy it. Even one Cyberman would have ambitions to convert the world. I’ll need some time to deal with Romanski’s defences. D’you think your friend Hart will help us. I should be able to get things ready for tomorrow night.’ As he spoke the Doctor walked around pressing buttons and looking at screens. Donna just looked on and listened, totally bemused.

‘We could also so with some police liaison. We may have to come clean about what we intend to do but I really don’t want UNIT involved. They’ll take anything they can find and I want to dispose of the dangerous stuff. You, me and this Hart can go in and then perhaps the police can be used to tidy up after us. Damn! How did this happen? I thought all of them had gone into the Void.’ The Doctor looked so stricken that both Jack and Donna reached towards the man and hugged him.

‘I’ll see what I can do, Doc. I’ll meet Hart tonight. We can get in contact with Andy Davidson from the police. I think it might help if you were there as well.’

At that moment Andy was on the phone half-heartedly attempting to put off John Hart, who was trying to get him to meet up at his hotel. Andy was very tempted.

‘Just a minute, gorgeous. I’ve another call,’ Hart said. ‘Jack, what is it?’ Jack explained quickly.

‘Don’t worry, Jack. I’ll get him there and you can come and tell him the truth. If he knows we’re not the bad guys perhaps I’ll get to fuck him again you never know!’

He didn’t see Jack roll his eyes as he switched lines again. Hart continued to talk to Andy. ‘Look, Andy I know who you are and I guess you have some suspicions about me. Let’s just say I’m working undercover and I know you’re the liaison for Torchwood. Perhaps we could help each other; we’re actually on the same side. And Andy, it was fantastic the other night!’

Andy hesitated but Hart knew things and he needed to find out more about what was going on.

‘Look, John, I’m not saying that I believe you but we need to meet up. I’ll see you at your hotel in the bar at 7 alright?’

‘Sounds good to me but keep it from your friend, Ianto Jones will you? This is on a need to know basis and it’s serious, Andy. When I say the world is at stake I mean it!’

‘I’ll see you later,’ Andy said as he rang off. He looked across the office at Ianto who was dealing with another case that had just come in; a shopkeeper had been held up at gunpoint and Ianto was allocating a couple of DCs to liaise with the uniforms. When he’d finished Ianto came over to him.

‘Fancy a beer round mine tonight?’ he asked.

‘Sorry I can’t manage tonight, I’m busy,’ Andy replied shuffling the papers on his desk.

Ianto looked at him. Andy was being cagey again. ‘Is this one of you secrets, Andy? I saw you coming out of the Chief Super’s office. Now why should a lowly DC be talking to Swanson? Andy, are you doing some work on the side? Is this anything to do with Harkness? I need to know, Andy. There’s more going on here than I understand isn’t there?’

‘Look, Ianto I can’t say anything. Just saying that is more than I should. I will say that you’re not the only one watching Harkness and I’m not sure that he’s entirely the bad guy that you think he is.’ Ianto looked at him.

‘Really, but he cons people. He claims to have alien stuff and that’s a lie isn’t it?’ Andy shrugged his shoulders. ‘Isn’t it?’ Ianto asked.

‘Ianto, I know you’re technically my superior but as your friend I’m telling you to leave it just for now until I know more. If I can tell you anything I will. Now, I’m signing out a little early. I’ll see you tomorrow. We’re on mornings so bright and early at 6am, yeah!’

‘Okay,’ Ianto said, but there was no way he was going to leave it there. He had feelings for Harkness he couldn’t explain and Andy knew something. He was sure he could tail him without being seen.

Hart’s hotel was across the city from Andy’s house. He dressed appropriately for a 5* hotel in a suit and tie. He’d also dressed to impress. The memory of his night with John Hart and what they’d done for each other was the one clear memory he had of that evening. Andy hadn’t been fucked that expertly for well, well forever. If Hart turned out to be on the level then perhaps he’d get more out of this than a one time quickie. Even if Hart was the love ‘em and leave them type it would be worth it.

He heard the taxi sound his horn and went out slamming the door behind him. Down the street Ianto pulled out. Thankfully he drove the type of car that was ten a penny on the streets of Cardiff. He also wore a cap and scarf to obscure his face. Just over twenty minutes later the taxi pulled up at the hotel. Ianto watched as Andy went in and then pulled his car to the side. He needed to get in there to see who Andy was meeting. There must be a side entrance. He walked around and found an open door. It turned out to be the kitchens. He got out his warrant card and flashed it at one of the chefs. The manager was brought in.

‘I need to see the bar area without being seen,’ Ianto explained.

‘Alright, detective sergeant, follow me. The manager took him to a small room with an array of TV screens. ‘All our public areas are covered by CCTV, Sgt Jones.’ He spoke to the uniformed man in front of the screens. ‘Phil, get all the bar cameras for me will you?’ Ianto watched open mouthed at the sight he saw. There was his best friend Andy sat at a table. Sat with him were John Hart, the mystery man from the café and Captain Jack Harkness. Ianto let out the breath he’d been holding. ‘What the hell was going on here?’ he wondered. ‘Was anyone who he thought they were?’


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andy finds out what is going on.

Chapter 14

When Andy walked into the bar he’d expected to see Hart sat there and he wasn’t wrong. He hadn’t expected to see the other two men as well. Hart stood up and put out his hand. Andy shook it and sat down.

‘Now, would someone like to tell me what’s going on here because I’m totally confused? When I agreed to liaise with Torchwood about our weevil problems I didn’t expect all of this. So tell me what is it that I’ve got myself involved in. My best mate thinks you’re a conman and he wants you behind bars but I guess that’s not entirely the case is it, Captain Harkness. Are you and your boyfriend here working with Torchwood?’

‘Okay, Andy you need to know what’s going on so just listen as there’s a lot at stake. There is a situation we have to deal with but we can’t just have the police rolling up. We can’t use Torchwood either because they’re still part of UNIT’s remit and we can’t trust them to do the right thing. We need you as back up, just in case. None of us can risk being arrested. If we get into trouble we need our own police back up that can get us out of there without questions. The client won’t risk removing a real copper as there’d be too many questions asked and, to be honest, we’ve no reason to think that he’s a killer anyway. Hopefully, we can persuade him of the error of his ways without any trouble.’

‘You still haven’t explained or indeed introduced me to your friends, John,’ Andy said looking at the other men.

‘Right, you know who I am. Let’s just say that I’m not from around these parts and neither is Jack here. The Captain and I go back years. We used to work together a bit more then.’

‘Oh I see,’ Andy said.

‘We’ve been over a long time, Andy,’ Jack said quickly. ‘I used to work for Torchwood Cardiff until 8 years ago when the leader killed all the operatives on New Year’s Eve. I got back from collecting a weevil wearing a party hat to find them all dead and to see Alex shoot himself.’

‘Why didn’t he shoot you?’ Andy said.

‘I don’t know,’ Jack replied. ‘Anyway, I left Torchwood. I wandered around for a while and then I found the Doctor here.’ The tall thin man dressed in the brown suit put out his hand. ‘Hi, I’m the Doctor.’

‘Doctor?’ Andy said puzzled. ‘What sort of a name is that? And who exactly are you?’

‘Look, Andy, I can call you that can’t I? Jack works for me. I have an interest in alien artefacts. You could say I collect them. Jack keeps his ear to the ground. There are collectors; they often don’t know what they have and how dangerous some things can be. Jack lures them in, checks what they have and then we swoop in, take what we have to and get out again. However, this time things are different. Romanski has something in his collection that threatens the entire planet.’

Andy looked somewhat dubious. Jack took out a photograph. ‘This is a Cyberman. Two years ago Cybermen wiped out Torchwood One in London. Ianto’s girlfriend worked for them. He doesn’t know the truth about what happened.’

‘I’ve always thought that there was something fishy about the story they put out. But why doesn’t Ianto know about Torchwood?’

‘It wasn’t called that and Ianto was told that his girlfriend had been killed with many others when there had been a release of toxic gas into the building. The actual situation was that the Doctor here managed to contain the Cybermen and then sent them into the void between time and space.’ Andy looked back and for between the two men.

‘Andy, the Doctor is an alien; he’s a Time Lord. He’s helped Earth so many times,’ Jack explained.

‘That’s me,’ the Doctor said smiling broadly. ‘Anyway,’ he continued. ‘Romanski has a Cyberman in his collection. We don’t know how but it was supposedly scavenged from the wreckage of Torchwood 1. It isn’t functional yet but if he gets it working the Cyberman will attempt to convert anyone it comes into contact with. Even one Cyberman could endanger the world. We have to stop it!’

‘It’s okay, Doc, I think he gets it,’ Jack said. ‘Now Hart here is our man on the inside. We have a means of getting into the building but we need to take in something to transport the artefacts we find. Even if we find the Cyberman is still dead we have to get all the parts of it out of there including the conversion unit and destroy them. I can get in the house using this.’ Jack held up a necklace with a key. ‘It’s a perception filter. It will allow me to get across the estate and into the building. I’ll get into the basement and check whether it’s safe. Hart is going to deal with the house guards by drugging them. It seems they eat together and they aren’t always careful. That’ll leave just Romanski and his PA, Frame in the house. Hart and I can deal with them. We need him to understand what he has and why it must be destroyed. Once we’re ready the Doctor will bring in the TARDIS and we’ll load things up. We’ll need you to be outside just in case anyone calls the police. You can contract the control and say you’re investigating. As I said we don’t want police wading in. Hopefully we won’t need you and we’ll just get in and get out using the TARDIS. With any luck Romanski will be none the wiser and won’t exactly be able to report his losses.’

‘So what time do you want me there and what the hell is a TARDIS?’ Andy asked.

‘The TARDIS is a spaceship owned by the Doctor but it doesn’t need much space. It’s hard to explain without seeing it. We’ll need you outside at around 11pm but not too close. I’ll see you before I go in and I have a spare one of these just in case you need to get in quickly,’ Jack added. ‘So Doc, time for you and me to get going. I think these two would like a little time together.’ The Doctor looked puzzled for a moment then the light dawned.

‘Oh yeah, you 51st century guys and your dancing!’

After the two men had left John Hart looked at Andy. ‘So is my room of any interest to you?’ he asked.

‘Don’t I even get dinner first?’ Andy replied smiling.

‘I’ll do you a deal. I’ll give you something to eat first and then we can have dinner but leave time for some afters!’

‘Sounds like a plan to me,’ Andy said. ‘Lead on!’

In the lift it was hard to tell where each man began and ended. Andy felt Hart’s hands all over him as they kissed frantically. Hart dragged him out of the life and then into his room. Andy pushed back easing Hart towards the bed and then pushed him over. Down on his knees Andy undid Hart’s belt and found there was no underwear to worry about. Hart’s cock was interesting, different somehow, but he didn’t waste any time. God, he wanted that cock in his mouth. Within seconds he was licking and sucking on Hart. He could hear the other man groan. He reached up and grabbed at him. He could feel his nails making contact with skin. It didn’t take long until Hart was pouring himself down Andy’s throat. Years of practice allowed Andy to swallow every drop. When he sat up even Hart looked impressed.

‘Oh you’re good, Andy Davidson, you’re really good. Stand up.’

Andy did as he was told. ‘Well, if you’re getting starters, I think I will too. Just a few minutes later and Andy was doing himself up again.

‘I think I need a steak,’ he said. ‘A great big steak, very rare. Room service would be good.’ Hart looked at him and smiled.

‘Hmm, yeah, red meat. Then we’ll be ready for afters. I intend to fuck you so hard you’ll remember me forever, Andy.’

The blond stood up and looked down at Hart. ‘Well, John, as you’re going into danger tomorrow I’d better make the most of it. Now order me that steak and then we’ll discuss who’s going to fuck who!’


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Andy walked into work the next day wearing a shirt provided by John Hart. It had been quite a night, and morning. He'd almost lost count of the number of times and ways that they'd done it over the last ten hours; the last being in the shower that morning. Andy wasn't usually one to top but Hart had insisted.

'God, you look like shit,' Ianto said as he saw him come past the office. 'I hope he was worth it!' Andy wondered what Ianto knew but said nothing. 'Anyway, I thought you'd been removed from the shift this morning so what are you doing here?'

'I'm here to see the Chief Super and no don't ask, Ianto. Look, I could do with a partner in all this so I'll see what I can do, okay? That's the best I can manage for now.'

'Okay, Andy I get it. Just be careful eh, old friend.' Ianto watched as Andy walked gingerly down the corridor. He intended to wait outside Andy's house and follow him later. Whatever his friend was up to with Jack Harkness he intended to find out.

At Romanski's mansion Hart was making plans. There were four guards inside the house. They usually ate around six in the evening and then went back on duty. There were three guards in the grounds with one on the gate. Hart was discussing the handover of the Chula ship with Romanski.

'So Harkness can get the ship here in a couple of days,' Hart explained. 'I spoke to him last night and he wouldn't budge on the price.'

'That's not a problem,' Romanski said. 'The 15 million is already sorted and available. I'm going to have a special hangar made. I assume Harkness has agreed to give me flying lessons.'

'Would you believe that there's a manual,' Hart said. Frame came in bringing drinks. 'Dr Tanizaki has asked if you'd join him downstairs, Sir. He has some news.'

Romanski threw back a few mouthfuls. 'Care to join me you two. Tanizaki said he was close to achieving his goal. Let's go and see.'

Frame looked at Hart. It was a look that suggested both fear and understanding and left Hart wondering if Frame was simply a PA. He might have to deal with him later.

As they exited the lift they began the walk through all those exhibition cases. At the end of the long room Hart could see that the light was on and the screens were up. Romanski's excitement positively dripped off him. They arrived at the large glass case. Inside Hart could see that the Cyberman was still strapped to the converter. Dr Tanizaki was at the controls at first then he entered the glass cage.

'Mr Romanski, I think nearly everything is in place now. I just need to run a final systems check and then we can pull the switch but just to demonstrate.' Tanizaki returned to his control room. 'Now,' he shouted. At his command suddenly the light in the Cyberman's eyes switched on and shone against the darkness of the room. Both Hart and Frame jumped backwards, only Romanski moved closer, pressing his face to the glass like a child in front of a sweetshop.

'When will we be ready?' he asked eagerly.

'I expect full switch on at around 10 tonight. I would suggest we keep witnesses to a minimum.'

'You will be able to control it though won't you, Doctor?' Suddenly Romanski started to sound uneasy.

'It's just a robot like any other metal creature; it can be programmed. It may need a little fine tuning but for safety we can keep it locked up here. I'm just going to carry on with my work and I'll see you down here later.'

'Very good, Doctor. I look forward to it. Now Mr Hart, what do you think of my new toy?'

Hart stood for a moment. 'Awesome, Sir, it is awesome. I hope you'll let me be here tonight to witness the switch on.'

'Yes, of course, we three can witness history tonight! Now, I think I'll have a nap before all the excitement. It's going to be a long night, I think.' Hart and Frame watched Romanski walk away and the looked at each other.

'I have the feeling Mr Hart, that you know more about our metal friend than you are letting on. I'm taking a chance here because I think you are as concerned about this as I am. Look, I was posted here to keep an eye on things. We heard rumours that a Dr Tanizaki was looking into Cyber technology so we traced his interest to here. I represent a small unit within the combined armed services that work to deal with threats to national security. I'm part of naval intelligence. We have to stop this before the Cyberman becomes active.' Hart wondered what to do.

'All I'm saying is that things are in hand to deal with this threat. The guards will be out of action in the house tonight. I need you to deactivate one of the window alarms. Can you do that?'

'Yes the one nearest the lift is probably best. I'll go and do it now before I check on him. I should be reporting this but I fear my masters might want to study this creature when it should be destroyed.'

'Don't worry my friends intend to destroy every inch of it. They know what one Cyberman can do.' Hart pressed a button on his wrist strap. 'Jack, I've news and it's not good. We need to bring things forward to nine tonight Tanizaki says he'll be ready to switch on the Cyberman at ten. We can't let that happen. Can you and the Doc sort it at your end? We've also got some help. I'll explain later.'

'Bloody hell, John. Okay we'll have to let Andy know as well. Can you text him?'

'Yeah I can do that. Hopefully he isn't too exhausted!' Hart smiled at the memory. 'So 21.00 hours tonight. Use the window at the side. It is nearest to the lift and the alarm will be off. We've got to get this right, Jack!'

'We're all set,' Hart said turning back to Frame.

At the warehouse the Doctor was arguing with Donna. 'No you're not coming, Donna. I promised I'd take you to Pompeii and I will when this is sorted but I don't want you there tonight. Things could get dangerous.'

'Doctor, I've faced a mad arachnid, I can face anything. I promise I'll stay in the TARDIS.'

Jack was loading the missile launcher which he hoped would disarm the Cyberman allowing them to get it into the TARDIS. He'd blow the head off the fucking thing. That should stop it threatening anyone.

'Alright, but you stay in here and if I tell you to pull this lever you do it without question. Got it?'

'Yes Doctor, I understand. I know what I'm doing,' Donna replied somewhat impatiently.

'Right Jack, I think we're sorted. You have the two keys; one for you and one for Andy, just in case. We have a way in. I just need you to gather together the other stuff and then contact me. It's a pity your wrist strap is a bit dodgy but we can't risk you being atomised, even if you are immortal. So we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way by breaking and entering. You can let me know and I can log your co-ordinates into the TARDIS and get there. We get the other stuff in and then we deal with the Cyberman. We'll need Hart to help us. I have a trolley here to put the body on and then I'll dispose of every piece. We'll need to deal with Tanizaki as well. Have you got the retcon?'

'Yes I always have some, Doc. You never know when you don't want someone to remember you. So I'll go to Andy's. He can take me in his car and we're ready.'

At 20.00 hours Ianto Jones watched as Jack Harkness entered Andy Davidson's house. He moved quickly using his spare key to open the boot of Andy's car. It wouldn't be the most comfortable ride of his life but at least he'd find out what his friend was up to once and for all.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack and the others go to Romanski's but you know how plans go ….

Chapter 16

At nine that night it was dark. Andy parked about half a mile away from the Romanski estate; it meant that Jack would have to walk about a mile to get to the house. They stood at the front of his car discussing what would happen. Ianto unlocked the boot as quietly as he could and slipped away to the side of the road and into some nearby bushes. He listened to the two men talking.

'Right, Andy. If we need you, we'll ring. I've got your number. If you need to get in unseen, put this over your head. I'll show you how it works.' Jack put the perception filter on.

'It's weird,' Andy said, 'It's like I know you're there but I can't exactly see you. It's like looking at something out of the corner of your eye.'

Ianto blinked a few times, trying to see both men. He could hear them but for some reason to do with the necklaces he couldn't see them.

'So, I'll go in and grab the stuff from the cases. The alarm should be off if John has done as he promised and the Doctor will meet us there. Hopefully, we'll deal with our little problem and then I'll go with the Doctor and get out of there. Once we're clear we'll give you a ring and you can get off home, safe in the knowledge that the world is safe once more.'

'Right, Jack. With any luck I'm going to have a very boring night and everything will go as planned. At least I can get some reading done. Good luck!'

Ianto couldn't believe his ears; it sounded like Andy was helping Harkness steal from somewhere. Surely that couldn't be right. Andy had always been straight as a die, well sort of. Ianto couldn't believe that his friend was corrupt. And what the hell was Harkness on about when he talked about making the world safe.

'Hopefully Romanski will see sense,' Jack said. 'Thanks, Andy. You've been a big help.'

With that Jack began to run down the road, leaving Andy standing there. He took off the necklace and leaned against the bonnet of the car. Ianto made his way around the other side. Hearing a noise, Andy turned.

'Ianto! How the hell did you get here?' he asked.

'I'll ask the questions. Why are you helping him, Andy? It sounds like he's off to rob somewhere!' Andy grabbed the other man's arms. 'Look, Ianto, you don't understand. Jack is on the side of the good guys.'

But Ianto wasn't prepared to listen. One punch to the jaw later and Andy was out cold in the passenger seat. Ianto took the necklace and headed down the road after Jack. The young Welshman was fit; he could do a mile in less than six minutes if necessary, but he was surprised at how fast Harkness was for an older man. He knew where the mansion was and a couple of minutes later he found himself stood outside the gate. He looked around; he had no choice but to try and use this necklace. As he began to climb, the guard looked over, hearing the gates rattle but seeing no-one he returned to his post. Ianto jumped down and began to make his way across the grounds.

By this time, Jack had found the window and was inside the house. He looked around, checking for the guards, but John seemed to have done his job. Jack pressed the button for the lift. It was a risk but it appeared to be the only way in. As the lift doors opened at the bottom, Jack saw there was a light at the end of the long room. He took out his bag and moved from case to case, using the device the Doctor had given him to neutralise any alarms. He took out the gauntlet, the necklace and a few of the more obvious weapons and put them into his bag. It was then that the noises began. He could hear desperate cries and shouting coming from the end of the huge room. He pressed a button on his wrist strap. 'Doc, get here now! I think we have a problem! I'm sending you the co-ordinates.'

Jack had to stay where he was till the Doctor arrived. He needed the specialised weapon to deal with the Cyberman. Within minutes the TARDIS materialised. Jack rushed in, threw the bag and got the hand-held launcher. The Doctor made to follow him out and it was then that they heard the screams and that familiar voice.

'You are inferior! You will be converted!'

They looked at each other, knowing what this meant. Jack pressed his wrist strap again. 'John! Get down here now! And bring the others! We have a problem!'

Hart wasted no time. He could tell from Jack's voice that the situation was urgent. He took out his concealed weapon, left his room and went along the corridor to Romanski's bedroom. He heard familiar noises coming from within. Opening the door he found Romanski on his knees, his mouth wrapped around the other man's cock. Hart pointed his gun.

'Put it away and get up!' he ordered.

Frame smiled as he did himself up; in fact, he looked positively relieved.

'What the hell are you doing, Hart?' Romanski yelled. 'And where did that gun come from?'

'You don't wanna know,' Hart replied. 'We need to go down to the basement. I think your pet project is causing some problems. Get a move on, now! The two of you!' He used his gun to motion them towards the door.

For Jack and the Doctor the screaming continued accompanied by the noises of machinery in motion. They needed to see exactly what was going on behind the screen. Jack pressed the button. Slowly, a horrific scene was revealed. Next to the conversion machine stood the Cyberman, now completely operational. It stood impassively, watching as machinery whirled around Tanizaki, completely oblivious to the other man's screams.

In another part of the house, Ianto Jones was stood outside the lift. It had taken a while but he'd noticed that one of the windows was slightly ajar and he took a chance. The lift was moving downwards, so he pressed nothing, waiting for it to stop. Giving it a little while, he pressed the button for the lift to come up.

When they arrived at the bottom of the shaft, Hart pushed Romanski out. They all heard the screaming and ran the full length of the room. None of them noticed the lift moving up again.

'I need to get in there, Doctor,' Jack said. 'Even if it kills me a few times, I'll come back!' He tried the door which was the only entry to the control room. It was locked. The Doctor got out his sonic screwdriver to no avail.

'Why isn't it working?' Jack asked.

'It's complicated,' the Doctor said, obviously frustrated. Jack turned around to see Hart arriving with the two other men.

'Do you see what you've done, you stupid man! That's a Cyberman, a killing machine! It'll try to make every human into something like itself. Give us the combination now!'

Romanski seemed transfixed. Jack shook him and he barked out a number. As Jack pressed the buttons to release the door, Hart touched his arm. 'Be careful, Jack! Just because you can't be killed, doesn't mean you should be.'

Jack rushed headlong into the room; he needed to distract the Cyberman. The alien turned to face him, killing Jack immediately; the others knew it wouldn't take long for the immortal to revive from such a death. They hoped that this would give him the element of surprise as the Cyberman would consider him to be no longer a threat. This would give Jack the chance he needed.

'Humans are inferior! Cybermen are superior!' The Cyberman looked through the glass. 'You will all be converted!'

'Do something!' Romanski shouted. 'Your friend is dead! One of you will have to do something! I'm not ending up like that!'

As he spoke metal was being welded around Tanizaki. Amidst the chaos no-one had noticed Ianto emerging from the lift. He'd edged his way down the room until he got a view of what was in the case just as Jack gasped back into life, took up his gun and fired, removing the Cyberman's head from its body and then hitting it in both legs. It crumpled to the floor, still twitching.

Hart yelled, 'Switch the machine off' to Romanski. Jack took out his Webley, put it to Tanizaki's temple and fired. 'I'm sorry,' he said as he pulled the trigger.

At last for a few seconds everything was quiet, and then it wasn't. All four men turned back to the main room where Ianto Jones lay on the floor, clutching his head. He screamed as all sorts of images crashed into his mind; images of metal men and Lisa, his Lisa! He saw felt himself pressing a cushion down onto her face, smothering her. Then just as abruptly, the screaming stopped and Ianto Jones lay unconscious on the floor.

'Doc! Quickly! Get the trolley! We need to get these things out!'

John helped them. 'Alonso, keep an eye on him!'

Jack ran back to where Ianto lay, picked him up and took him into the TARDIS. 'Donna, keep an eye on him. Just make sure he's still breathing.'

They pushed the trolley towards the cage and pulled the cyber parts and what was left of Tanizaki onto it.

'I'll take care of the machinery,' Alonso said, 'and our friend here.' Jack threw him some pills.

'Give him five of these. He'll lose a year of memories, enough to make him forget all of this.'

'Right, Captain. Get out of here and sort out your friend.'

They all got into the TARDIS. The trolley and its contents were stowed into a sealed room, until they could be dealt with. Jack fired his Webley as the head twitched again and finally the lights went out. He was trying desperately to push aside the knowledge that this Cyberman could be something to do with his brother. The thought of his brother being like this made him feel sick to the stomach but he had no time to dwell on those feelings. He found the Doctor with Hart in another room. Ianto was lying on the bed, out cold but still breathing. How the hell had he got there, Jack wondered? And then he suddenly realised and yelled, 'Andy' into his wrist strap.

In his car, Andy Davidson revived on hearing his name being shouted through his earpiece. 'Andy, where are you?'

'Sorry, Jack. Ianto jumped me. Is everything alright?'

'No! Contact Owen Harper. You know where he lives, so go get him! I'm sending you some directions; get Owen there as soon as you can!'

'What is it, Jack?' Andy asked.

'It's Ianto, Andy. Tell Owen he followed us in and collapsed screaming and clutching his head. I'm not sure what happened but he's now unconscious. Go as quickly as you can!'

Andy put the blue light on and drove quickly through the outskirts of Cardiff. Pressing some numbers he waited for an answer and then spoke into his head-set. 'Owen? Get your medical kit, we need you!'

'What is it?' Tosh said, from the other side of the bed.

'It's Andy, some sort of crisis. What's going on?' Owen asked.

'It's Ianto. Jack said to tell you he's unconscious.'

'How the hell did that happen?' Owen asked.

'Ianto followed them tonight. Apparently he collapsed screaming after seeing the Cyberman they were dealing with. They've sent me details of where they've taken him. I'll be with you soon. Owen, do you know what's happened?'

'I have an idea. Look, Andy, there are things about what happened to Lisa that Ianto is unaware of. I think his memories may have come back,' Owen explained.

'That doesn't sound good,' Andy said.

'No it isn't. Get here as soon as you can, Andy. Ianto's life may depend on it!'


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone takes care of Ianto – and they say you should talk.

Chapter 17

Andy screeched to a halt in front of Owen’s house. The medic came running out with Tosh and threw his bag into the car.

‘D’you know where we’re going?’ Owen asked.

‘It looks like somewhere out on the docks. There are some abandoned warehouses there,’ Andy replied. ‘Owen, what’s up with Ianto; you said his memories had come back. What did you mean?’

‘Look, Andy, there are things that you don’t know, that very few people actually know. When Torchwood One was destroyed creatures called Cybermen were responsible.’

‘I know about them,’ Andy said. ‘Jack said there was one this Romanski had in his collection and that they were going to destroy it tonight.’

‘But how did Ianto get involved?’ Tosh asked.

‘You know he’s obsessed by Jack Harkness,’ Andy said as if that explained everything.

‘He wouldn’t be the first,’ Tosh observed.

‘He thought Jack was a conman and I couldn’t persuade him otherwise without giving too much away. He hid in the boot of my car and then knocked me out and followed Jack.’

Owen looked at Tosh. ‘He must have seen the Cyberman; it’s the only explanation and then all his memories of that day would have flooded back. His mind’s shut down trying to protect itself. Unless we treat him he could lose his mind altogether.’

‘Owen, what do you mean about Ianto’s memories? I still don’t get it.’

‘Tell him,’ Tosh said. ‘Owen, it’s not your fault. You were trying to protect him.’

‘Okay Andy, there were six police officers who entered Canary Wharf before it was cordoned off and the Doctor dealt with the Cybermen. One of those officers was Ianto. By this stage the Cybermen had begun to convert the employees, including Lisa, but they were interrupted. Ianto found her half converted and screaming. He did what he thought was right and he was right; he killed her to end her suffering. He put a cushion or something over her face and smothered her. When we got there he was catatonic, sitting next to her, still holding the cushion. We retconned him and took his memory of the event away; we gave him alternative memories so that, like everyone else, he believed that the people in the building were killed by an escape of poisonous gas. He believed that he hadn’t arrived in time and that he was stopped from entering the building.

Andy took a little while to process all that Owen had told him. ‘He blamed himself for not being there to save her,’ he said. ‘He hasn’t shown any interest in anyone or anything until Jack Harkness. He’d started investigating him in London and then he turned up here. What was Harkness doing with you the other day; he’s not with Torchwood anymore.’

‘No it was more for old time’s sake. I think he misses it. We found him outside the Hub.’

‘Shit,’ Andy said suddenly as they ploughed through a pothole or two. ‘I think the road surface may be a bit dodgy from now on.’

‘Over there,’ Tosh said pointing. ‘I can see an open door and a woman against the light. She’s waving.’ They pulled up outside. Donna ushered them in.

‘Quickly, he’s in the TARDIS.’ Owen and Tosh had hardly taken in the sight of a Chula warship before the enormity of the inside of the TARDIS hit them.

‘Yeah we know it’s bigger on the inside. Jack’s with him. The Doctor and John Hart are taking care of the Cyberman somewhere else,’ Donna explained.

Jack had sat with Ianto for over twenty minutes, holding his hand and literally mopping his brow. His breathing was shallow and his blood pressure somewhat high. Other than that he simply looked as if he was asleep. ‘He really is beautiful,’ Jack thought. He knew Ianto felt something for him and the more Jack looked, the more he wanted to get to know the young man in front of him.

‘Come on, Ianto Jones you’ve got to live. I promise I’ll be here to help and explain.’ He paused as the door was flung open.

‘Okay Jack, let me take over now. I need to give him something to counteract the shock, bring down his blood pressure and revive him slowly. He mustn’t revive suddenly or he could crash again. You also need to know the full story.’ Owen explained what Ianto had done and why he’d been retconned.

‘He saw the Cyberman kill me, Owen and then I revived and killed them both, the Cyberman and Tanizaki the scientist, who was half converted like Lisa must have been when he found her. All that would be enough to bring back his memories and break the retcon. Bloody hell Owen, what was he thinking? Why did he have to get involved?’

‘You Jack, he’s obsessed by you according to Andy,’ Owen explained.

‘God, I hate this. I want him back, Owen. I need to explain I’m not who he thinks I am.’

‘Jack, why does it matter what he thinks about you?’ Owen asked quietly.

‘I don’t know, Owen; it just does. From the moment I first saw him there was something. I don’t want him to die thinking I’m a conman. I NEED him to understand. I don’t know why.’

‘If I didn’t know better I’d say you sounded like a man in love, Jack. Alright keep an eye on him for me and let me know if there’s any change. It might be hours yet.’

‘Should I talk to him, Owen? They say you should talk don’t they?’ Jack asked.

‘Yeah, talk to him, Jack. It can’t do any harm.’ Owen got up and closed the door quietly behind him, leaving the two men alone once more.

Jack took hold of Ianto’s hand. ‘Ianto Jones, I don’t know if you can hear me but I’m Captain Jack Harkness. It’s not my real name but it’s the one I think of myself as now. My story is a long one but Owen says we have hours so you may as well hear it.

I’m from the future, Ianto. I know that’s impossible to you but I came to Earth from the 51st century during World War II and I was a conman then – you were right, but I met the Doctor and Rose and everything in my life changed. The Doctor can travel in time and space in this box, which is called the TARDIS. I went travelling with him for a while and during one trip we met a race called the Daleks and I was killed trying to help him. But I didn’t stay dead because Rose brought me back to life and now I can’t die, at least not for long. I know you saw me revive tonight. That must have seemed impossible to understand.

After I found myself back alive I went searching for the Doctor. I arrived back here in 1869 and waited for him to return because I needed to know why I couldn’t die. I worked for Torchwood and now I help the Doctor hunt down alien artefacts. I’m not a bad man, Ianto. I want you to know that. When you’re better I’d like to get to know you. I’d like us to be friends. I’d really like us to be more than friends. I don’t know what it is about you. It could be your beautiful blue eyes, your handsome face or your gorgeous arse or just you. I knew it the moment I saw you across that café, when our eyes met briefly, and you knew it too, didn’t you? I know you feel something for me, Ianto Jones that was obvious when you fell on me. I know you must have loved Lisa very much. It took such love to do what you did.’ Jack laced his fingers through Ianto’s. ‘You were so brave, Ianto. I know what it’s like to have to make those decisions. You didn’t really kill her you know; she was gone already, the Lisa you loved. When you come round we’ll explain everything. It won’t be easy, Ianto but I’ll be here and Andy and Owen as well. We’ll all be here for you. I’d like to stick around for as long as you’ll have me.’ He leaned in and kissed Ianto’s forehead.

‘Don’t worry, Ianto it’s not that sort of a kiss, well at least not yet, not unless you want it to be. Bloody hell I’m rambling like a boy in love for the first time. Shit, did I say in love? I did, didn’t I? See what you’ve done to me, Ianto Jones. Just the sight of you lying there all helpless and I want to take you into my arms and keep the bad things in life away from you.’

Jack shook himself. ‘How had this young man got under his skin so quickly?’ He yawned and then laid his head down next to Ianto. Soon he was asleep, the night’s exertions catching up with him.

On the main deck Andy was sat with John Hart, the Doctor and the others. They’d finished dealing with the Cyberman and what was left of Tanizaki.

‘Should I go in and check on them?’ Andy asked. ‘He is my best friend after all.’ He went to get up but Hart stopped him.

‘Let Jack deal with it. He’s dealt with this before. He knows how retcon works and I think he cares for your friend more than even he realises. I know the signs.’

‘What are you trying to say, John? Ianto is straight and he thinks Jack is a conman. Why would he listen to him?’

‘Andy, are you blind? I saw the way he stared at Jack when he thought no-one was looking and you’ve got to understand the power of Jack Harkness. There’s just something about the man and I should know. No Andy, let’s leave it to him. Doctor, is there any chance of a drink that isn’t tea? I may drown soon.’

‘Donna, could you have a look? I expect the TARDIS will find something. So Dr Harper you’re Torchwood now and you, Ms Sato. We’ve met before haven’t we? I was somewhat grumpier, with bigger ears, leather jacket, Northern accent, the space pig?’

‘Oh yeah,’ Tosh said remembering. ‘But you’re different.’

‘Yes, it’s a little Time Lord trick – regeneration but essentially I’m the same, just better hair and dress sense this time. So Dr Harper how do we handle this?’

‘Ianto will need to have everything explained slowly and carefully for his brain to join the dots without damage. I think he’s remembered what’s happened. Usually he’d get flashbacks but with our help he’ll get the whole story which will make it easier. The drugs I’ve given him will help him to cope but he will know that he killed Lisa and he’ll need help dealing with that.’

A couple of hours later Jack was lying with his head on Ianto’s chest when he was woken by Ianto’s hand twitching. He sat up, not letting those fingers go. Ianto opened his eyes, not quite taking in what he saw.

‘Jack?’ he questioned.

‘Ianto, you’re okay; you’re safe. You’re in the TARDIS. There’s a lot you need to hear. I’ll get Andy and Owen Harper. He’s a doctor. He’ll help to explain what’s happened.’

‘Jack, you’re holding my hand,’ Ianto said. Jack let go. Suddenly Ianto grabbed his head, his breathing increased as he went into panic.

‘Jack, what was that thing? Oh God, I killed her; I killed Lisa!’ He clutched at Jack. ‘I don’t understand, Jack. How could I have killed her and why didn’t I remember? Jack, help me please. Am I going mad? Please help me.’ The tears began to pour down Ianto’s face.

‘Ianto, I need to get Owen, just let me go a minute.’

‘Jack, don’t leave me please,’ Ianto pleaded.

‘It’s alright I’m just going to the door.’ He got up and opened it. ‘Owen, Andy, he’s awake and panicking. Get in here now.’

Jack went back into the room and put his arms around the young Welshman who wept onto his shoulder.

‘It’s alright, Ianto. I’m here. I won’t let you go, I promise. Things will get better, I promise they will.’ It was then that Jack realised that some of the tears were his own.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are more questions that answers and Ianto has lots of questions

Chapter 18

‘Jack, let him go a minute,’ Owen said quietly.

‘I’m not holding on,’ Jack said.’ He is!’

‘Ianto, mate, it’s alright we need to talk to you. You can let go now.’ Andy prized his friend away. Ianto looked at everyone and then looked embarrassed.

‘Sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I keep seeing these things in my head and I don’t understand why I don’t remember them. Did I kill Lisa? That’s what my head is telling me. Did I? And why didn’t I remember? Could someone tell me? Jack? Andy? I don’t know what to think. I’ve one part of my memory telling me that Lisa died in an accident at work and another saying that her building was attacked by those creatures and that Lisa was like …….. was like that man in the glass case, half flesh and half metal. I found her screaming. There was blood everywhere and she had bits of metal all over her. I could smell burnt flesh in the air all around me. I had to end her suffering, end her misery; it’s what she wanted. Somehow I knew she would never recover. There was a seat cushion on the floor so I put it over her face and kept it there until she stopped struggling. She seemed to struggle forever; she was so strong. I don’t remember anything after that. Why don’t I remember?’ He looked at Jack; somehow he trusted him. ‘How did that happen? How had Jack Harkness gone from being a conman in his head to this,’ and then a thought struck him.

‘You died, Jack; I saw you die. I saw that thing kill you and then I saw you get up and blow its head off. You killed the man as well like I killed Lisa. Jack, am I going mad? Is that what this is?’ He looked at his friend. ‘Andy, am I going insane because I feel like I am?’

Jack took his hand. ‘I’m sorry, Ianto there’s so much to explain,’ Jack said.

‘They’re Cybermen aren’t they? How do I know that? And you, you’re from the 51st century. You told me you were, but when?’ Ianto’s eyes were wide with shock and his pupils dilated. It was all Jack could do to keep from pulling him close again.

‘Ianto I spoke to you while you were unconscious,’ he said instead. ‘Did you hear me?’

‘I don’t know Jack, but perhaps that’s why I feel I can trust you.’ He tightened his fingers around Jack’s. ‘You told me things about yourself didn’t you? I don’t remember everything you said.’ Then he blushed recalling what Jack had said about his arse.

‘Yes, Ianto, they were Cybermen. Their mission is to take over world by converting the population. That’s what they did in Canary Wharf. When you found Lisa she was dead already. The Lisa you knew was gone; she would never have recovered. That’s why I had to kill Tanizaki as well.’

‘But I saw you die, Jack. Rose, I remember you saying something about a Rose.’

‘Rose was the Doctor’s travelling companion when we first met. I died Ianto, but somehow Rose gave me life again. The problem was that she couldn’t control what she did and she gave me too much life; now I can’t die. I’ve also travelled in time. I used to work with John Hart in something called the Time Agency. We’re both from the 51st century. Look this is a lot for you to take in, Ianto.’

Owen interrupted. ‘Jack, I need to give Ianto another dose just to slow things down. It’ll allow your memory time to process things, Ianto. I promise it’s not dangerous. You’re doing well, better than I expected thanks to Jack here.’

‘Can I go home?’ Ianto asked. ‘I need some normality and my own bed.’

‘You can’t be left on your own,’ Owen said. ‘Not yet anyway, you’ll get flashbacks and you need more of this.’

‘I can stay with you,’ Andy said, ‘but work might not want both of us off. I’ll explain to Swanson. She’ll need to know about Romanski anyway. Someone will have to deal with him.’

‘I wouldn’t worry,’ Jack said. ‘I think Mr Frame will have sorted all that. And I can stay with you, Ianto if you’ll let me. I don’t have to be anywhere. No strings and I can give you the injections without having to call out Owen all the time. What d‘you think? D’you think you could stand having me around, Ianto?’

‘I think I could cope with that,’ Ianto replied, ‘but I’m a bit tired now. It is four in the morning after all.’ His eyes flickered and then closed.

‘There was a sedative in there as well, Jack. For now I know he’s coping. He’s not out of the woods yet. He’ll sleep and then you can take him home. He’s taken a shine to you, Jack. Be careful, he’s a bit vulnerable at the moment and I know about the legendary Harkness reputation,’ Owen warned.

‘And he’s my friend, Jack. He’s confused. Don’t take advantage,’ Andy added sternly.

‘I won’t, Andy. Whatever he wants is up to him. Come on let’s allow him to get some rest. I think we could all do with some shut eye.’

They returned to the main console room.

‘Doctor, do you have somewhere to sleep,’ Andy asked. ‘I’m shattered.’

‘Just find a door; the TARDIS will sort it for you.’ Andy turned to John Hart. ‘Care to join me, for old time’s sake, if that’s okay with you, Doctor.’

‘Fine,’ the Doctor replied, looking at Jack. John Hart smiled as Andy took him by the hand. Owen and Tosh went off as well. Donna had disappeared a while back. This left Jack and the Doctor sat in the console room.

‘Well, that could have been worse, Jack,’ the Doctor said sipping his tea. Jack laughed.

‘You always try to see the best of things, Doc but I suppose we achieved our aim and those artefacts can be destroyed as well. It’s just a pity that Ianto had to get caught up in all this.’

‘You seem to have become very fond of Mr Jones, Jack.’ The Doctor looked over his glasses.

Jack looked slightly embarrassed. ‘I know and I know what you’re going to say, Doc and it’s been so long since I allowed anyone to get close to me. I’ve no idea how he feels but I’d like to find out I think.’

‘You know he’ll die before you do, Jack. Are you ready to live through that again?’

‘I don’t know, Doc and we’re jumping the gun a bit. Ianto hasn’t even said he likes me and he’s not exactly, how do I put this?’

‘Used to dancing with men!’

‘Yes, he’s got enough confusion in his life already without having to deal with finding out that he likes men or at least this man.’

‘Give him time, Jack. After all that is the one thing you’ve got in abundance.’ They sat until morning in companionable silence each dozing occasionally.

‘Fancy some breakfast, Doc.’ Jack said as he set some food out on the counter. ‘I’ve found bread, bacon and eggs. The smell will wake them. Owen came in rather bleary eyed and sat at the table.

‘It’s odd; every room in this place is so easy to find,’ Owen said.

‘I can give you bacon, eggs and fried bread for breakfast if you’d like,’ Jack said.

‘Brilliant my arteries could do with a work out. Jack ……’

‘Yes, Owen.’

‘Tosh and I were thinking last night. We were wondering if you’d consider coming back to Torchwood. We don’t agree with much of what UNIT does. You could set it up again and make it work properly. We’d need a couple more people but I think we could make it work.’

‘I don’t know, Owen. I’ve got Ianto to consider. I’d need to think. Give me time, okay.’

In his head Jack thought to himself. Could he go back? Was it time? Jack Harkness, leader of Torchwood, Cardiff; was that finally what he really wanted?


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little joining chapter and time to say some goodbyes.

Chapter 19

Jack brought his car around to the warehouse. Andy had gone off with Tosh and Owen, having said goodbye to John Hart. Ianto was still getting ready.

'So Doc, what are you going to do with this warship then?' Jack asked.

'Well, I'll strap it to the TARDIS and then take it home before Donna and I pop to Pompeii. You remember Jack, volcano day! Donna wanted to see it before it happened, before the place was covered in ash.' Hart came into the main deck.

'Can I give you a lift anywhere, Captain?' the Doctor asked. 'Or are you planning on sticking around?'

'Are you, John? You and Andy seem to have hit it off?' Jack asked.

'Ah, you know me, Jack. I'm not the settling down type. Andy knows that and he's cool with it. He's a good bloke but I'm not the man he needs or deserves.'

'My goodness am I hearing right? Humility from you, John.'

'I know but it sounded good didn't it? I think I'll find out what it's like here. Lots to see and do and there must be a reason why you stay.' He saw Ianto come into the room and go and talk to the Doctor.

'You like him don't you, Jack' John whispered.

'Yeah, I do. Don't ask me why but there's just sometime about him; he's special and I don't want to mess up so I'm going ever so slowly.'

'I've seen the way he looks at you. He's scared but fascinated at the same time and why wouldn't he be, you're the man who can't die, Jack.'

'And that's the problem, John,' Jack replied sighing audibly. 'I have to watch anyone I love die. It's hard John, to be the one who doesn't get old. But I can't face a life of endless one night stands. Somehow it isn't enough so I have to take a chance that perhaps he's the one.' He looked across the room.

'Are you ready, Ianto? I've brought the car around,' Jack shouted.

'Yes, Jack, I'm ready. I was just saying thank you to the Doctor.'

Jack got up and kissed John. 'You know where I am if you need me.'

'Yeah, I've got your number,' he replied, touching his wrist strap.

Jack walked over to the Doctor. 'And you the same. Have fun with Donna but watch out for the volcano!' He kissed the other man.

'Take care of him, Jack. You need someone to take care of and you should think about what Owen and Tosh said. You need to settle down and this planet needs you too; I won't always be around.'

'Thanks, Doc; as always it's been an experience. Look after yourself too.'

'Oi, Spaceboy are we ever getting off then?' Donna shouted.

'Bye, Doc.'

'Bye, Jack. I'll see you around.'

'Coming, Ianto?'

'Yeah, let's go,' Ianto said.

'I'll come out with you,' Hart said.

Leaving the TARDIS they watched as it disappeared taking the warship along. Hart pressed his wrist strap. 'See you around, Jack.' And then they were left by themselves.

'So Ianto Jones, let's get you home.'

Jack hadn't known what to expect. He'd imagined Ianto might live in a modern apartment and, therefore, he was surprised when they pulled up outside a Victorian semi with a parking space and small garden at the front.

'My car is in the garage so you can park yours here,' Ianto explained.

'It's nice,' Jack said. 'But not what I expected.'

'Yeah, I did think about getting a flat but my Dad always said houses were best and I liked this place as soon as I saw it. There's a conservatory and garden around the back. It has a front room I use as an office and a living room and dining kitchen. Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a bathroom. I was thinking of turning the box room into an ensuite but haven't got round to it yet.'

'Come on you need to get your stuff from the hotel don't you?' Ianto asked.

'Yeah, but I can do that later. I fancy a coffee and I hear you're a miracle worker.' Jack followed Ianto through to the kitchen. It was bright and sunny and led on to the conservatory. Jack sat on the sofa and looked at the garden.

'You have fish!' he said.

'Yes and I must feed them their supplement unless you want to. They have an automatic feeding system. The box is there; they need a couple of portions.'

Jack opened the doors and stepped outside. The fish rushed to the surface and Jack watched fascinated as they nibbled at the food. The garden was lawn with bedding on both sides and a shed at the back. There looked to be some vegetables growing as well. Ianto brought out the coffee and some Hobnobs and sat watching Jack dipping his fingers into the pond. Even without the immortality he suspected Jack Harkness was unique. He'd taken off his trademark greatcoat and was stood in a shirt and waistcoat. He looked good.

'Coffee's up,' he shouted and Jack came back and sat down. He picked up the coffee and took a sip.

'Bloody hell, that is amazing,' he said.

'Thank you kind Sir; I aim to please.' Ianto flashed a winning smile at Jack. His phone rang.

'Yes Andy, I'm here. Yes Jack is here too. No d'you mind if we don't tonight. I just want an early night and Jack will be here. Yes Andy, I know. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks, it will help if you see the Chief Super and explain. I'm going to take things slowly and see how it goes. Bye Andy.'

He noticed that Myfanwy had arrived and was petting Jack. 'I wondered where you were,' he said. 'Come on girl, I'll get you some food. This is Myfanwy, my cat.'

'Checking up is he?' Jack asked smiling.

'Yeah, he is my oldest friend. We were in school together. After Lisa died he kept me together and suggested I move back here. He was right it did help to put some distance between me and what happened. Of course, I didn't know then what I know now.'

'How are you feeling about all that?' Jack asked.

'I don't know. I know I did the right thing but it's hard to take in what those creatures did. You must have met so many aliens. I guess there were some you didn't sleep with!'

'Hmm, some,' Jack replied winking.

'These Cybermen don't seem like the friendly sort,' Ianto added. 'So I guess sometimes that the films are right and they are after world domination!'

'Yes, Ianto there are some aliens who want to take over the world, every world. The Cybermen are one such race. I think you should know that I've only recently found out that my brother, Gray was killed by them; John told me. So I have no problems disposing of them; they are ruthless and evil.'

Ianto looked at Jack whose face had clouded over. 'You haven't said anything about your family, Jack. What happened?' Jack explained about his parents' deaths and his separation from Gray and that John had only recently found out what had happened.

'That must have been hard for you Jack, knowing that there's nothing you could have done.'

'Yes, it was. Look, I'll go over to my hotel, collect my stuff and pick up a take away. What's your preference? Pizza? Chinese? Indian? I don't mind.'

'There's a good Chinese not far away; Andy and I use it. We usually get a banquet for three. I've some beers in the fridge. Don't worry I'll be fine while you're gone.'

Jack didn't take long at the hotel. It was just an hour later when he returned. Ianto had spent the time sorting out the spare room. By the time Jack returned he was sat in the living room watching a film. Jack got some plates and cutlery and put them on the coffee table with the food. He sat down next to Ianto on the large sofa.

'What's that you're watching?' he asked.

'Highlander. I thought I'd do some research on immortality. Don't you know the film?'

'No, I don't think I've seen it.' Jack had seen it, of course, but it would give Ianto a chance to talk.

'Well,' Ianto began in between mouthfuls. 'The bloke there is supposedly Scottish but he's played by a French actor. He gets killed in a battle in the 16th century and then finds that like you, he doesn't stay dead. They run him out of his village as they think he's in league with the Devil. The other bloke is Sean Connery playing an Egyptian working for Spain with a Scottish accent. I'm not selling this well so far! Anyway, this is my favourite bit in Scotland when McCloud first meets Ramierez. Later the baddie appears and kills Ramierez. At the end there is a prize for being the last immortal left alive which McCloud wins.'

'What's the prize?' Jack asked.

'He gets to die.' Ianto saw Jack's face. 'Is that what you want, Jack. How many times have you been killed?'

'It sounds like a great prize and to answer your question I don't know. Sometimes I'd like to be able to die. Being immortal has its drawbacks. I have to accept that everyone I love will die before I do. I've died so many times over the last 130 years since I came here.'

'I would imagine that it's hard to be someone who loves you as well knowing that you'll always be young and handsome and that you might leave for a younger model. Someone would have to be very certain about their feelings to put themselves in that situation.' The words were left hanging in the air as Jack put more of the food on to his plate. They sat quietly for a while watching the rest of the film.

'What do you fancy next?' Jack asked. Myfanwy had joined them begging for food and then settled herself on Ianto's lap.

'How about 'Live and Let Die',' Ianto said. Jack got the film out having noted that they were in alphabetical order on the shelf.

'That beach in Highlander was lovely we could go to the beach tomorrow. It would be nice to have a few days away.'

'Yeah, it would,' Jack said, thinking that it would also give them some time alone away from Andy.

'We stayed on the Gower once. Why don't we have a look to see if there's anything available. Andy will pop in to look after her. It's beautiful there, Jack.' He got out his laptop. 'I've found a cottage in Oxwich near the bay. It's available this week. Should I ring them and book? They should still be open.'

'Yeah, I can look after you there as well,' Jack said.

Ianto picked up the phone and a few minutes later it was sorted. 'We pick the keys up from one of the neighbours,' he said.

They watched the Bond film together and both wondered what the next few days would bring.

They left early the next day. There had been no awkwardness about sleeping arrangements as Jack had automatically gone into the spare room. They'd packed bags and set off wanting to get time in the sunshine. By eleven they had parked the car on the back of Oxwich beach and were walking along the sand.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Ianto begin to enjoy each other’s company on their few days away.

Chapter 20

They spent some time walking along the beach. They’d taken off their shoes and were enjoying the sensation of curling the sand beneath their toes, occasionally allowing a wave to pass over their feet. The sun was quite warm and the beach was quiet as it wasn’t the holidays. There were just a few dog walkers whose pets came to sniff them; Jack watched as Ianto fondled the ears of an enthusiastic spaniel until his owner arrived. When she flashed Ianto a smile, Jack recognised a surge of jealousy running through his mind. They’d been together for just 48 hours and somehow Jack had never felt more certain about anything or anyone in his life. He looked at the young man, who smiled back at the woman and had no explanations for how he felt. He wanted to wrap his arms around him, hug him close and bury his head into Ianto’s neck. He desperately wanted to kiss him and more! Oh, yes, he wanted to do more, but he had no idea how Ianto felt. He seemed happy enough in Jack’s company; on the way down they’d talked about so many different things, films and books and their favourite music. Jack had told what seemed like a thousand stories of alien encounters. Now Ianto knew about what had happened to Gray, it seemed to bring them closer, but what happened next came as a complete surprise to Jack.

As they continued walking, he felt Ianto’s hand take hold of his own. He looked across and was met by a shy smile. Neither man said anything for a while as they continued to walk back to where Jack had parked the car.

‘Let’s sit for a minute, Jack. I’m still a bit tired.’

There were some large boulders near the cliff face. For a little while, Ianto just stared out to sea. ‘I love it here. We came down to this beach once when I was little. You can swim here in the summer.’  
Ianto turned to face the other man. ‘Jack, would you do something for me?’

‘Anything, Ianto, you know that.’

‘Would you kiss me?’ If Jack had been expecting any request, it wouldn’t have been that. ‘What?’ he spluttered.

‘I keep thinking about kissing you, so I thought I’d ask. I have a little confession; you won’t be the first man I’ve ever kissed. Do you mind? I thought you might like to kiss me, or have I got that wrong?’

‘No, Ianto, I’d love to kiss you. And sometime I want to know more about this other man you kissed!’ Jack insisted.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll tell you, Jack. And I’m sorry you’re not exactly the first.’

Despite Ianto’s confession, their first kiss still felt like they were a pair of teenagers, worrying about how to tilt your head and where your nose would go, but finally their lips met. Jack let Ianto take the lead and set the pace, until they were kissing open-mouthed, with Jack’s arms around the Welshman, pulling him in close. Ianto’s tongue moved experimentally but was withdrawn for a moment, as Jack’s met his, then it returned again, probing deeper each time. It seemed like that kiss would go on forever. It was Ianto who stopped it.

‘So,’ Jack asked, ‘how did it feel? Is it something you think you’d like to do again?’

Ianto nodded. ‘Yes, Jack; in fact I think I’d like to try it again right now!’

Their lips met again. This time Ianto allowed Jack to kiss along his jaw and into his neck. He groaned as Jack took the lobe of his ear and sucked it gently. Jack felt Ianto’s fingers raking through his hair and stroking the back of his neck. He needed to slow this down and take a step back. Both men were breathing heavily as they broke apart and realised that two women were watching and giggling at them. Ianto flushed red; Jack got up and reached out a hand.

‘Come on, I’m hungry. Let’s get lunch at that pub we passed this morning,’ Jack suggested.

‘Sounds good to me,’ Ianto replied.

When they got in the car, Ianto said quietly, ‘I liked kissing you. I’d like to do some more if that’s alright?’

Jack smiled as he put the car into gear. Perhaps these few days away would prove to be a good idea!

The pub lunch was lovely. On the way back to the cottage, they stopped at a shop and picked up a few things for the evening. Ianto was going to cook spaghetti Bolognese; Jack also bought some garlic bread, salad and ice cream, as well as a bottle or two of wine. He wanted the night to be easy, with no pressure on either of them. Ianto turned out to be a good cook but both men discovered it was impossible not to laugh while eating spaghetti, as both slurped and sucked their way through the meal. The wine loosened their inhibitions and their tongues. Ianto wanted to know more about Jack.

‘So, how long did you say you’d been here?’ he asked.

‘After Rose brought me back to life and the Doctor abandoned me, I...’

Ianto interrupted him. ‘Hang on! The Doctor abandoned you?’

‘Yeah, that hurt for a long time. But I’m over it now. Well, more or less. Ianto looked at him.

‘How much can I ask you, Jack?’

‘You can ask me anything, Ianto, but I can’t guarantee I’ll always give you an answer.’ Jack wondered what Ianto wanted to know.

‘Have you ever slept with the Doctor?’ Ianto asked.

Jack wanted to be honest with Ianto from the start. He’d spent so long keeping secrets from people. ‘Yes, but only once. It was something we both had to get out of our system. It was good, but we both realised it was never going to work.’

‘So anyone else is going to pale in comparison to him, because he’ll always be your greatest love,’ Ianto said.

Jack wondered where this was going. ‘No, I don’t think so, Ianto. I’ve loved a few people and I’ve had sex with many more. In the 51st century most people weren’t monogamous and such pairings were quite rare.’

‘So you don’t believe in being monogamous?’ Ianto asked.

Again Jack knew that his answer was going to be important. ‘I have been faithful, Ianto; I was faithful to my wife. I was married a long time ago for 10 years. She died in the flu epidemic after the First World War. I was also faithful to other people during the length of our relationships. Sometimes, Ianto, I want nothing more than to find someone who’ll put up with me, who I find totally absorbing and who gets me. Isn’t that what everyone wants?’

‘Yes, I suppose so,’ the Welshman conceded.

‘Did you have that with Lisa?’ Jack asked. ‘If that’s too difficult to answer, just ignore me, but sometimes it can help to talk.’

‘I was faithful to Lisa for five years. Before her there were a few one night stands but nothing major. And nowhere near as many as you, Jack! Or as varied, I expect! Since Lisa there’s been no-one. When I think about her now, I realise there was always something missing. By that stage most couples would have talked about marriage but something always stopped us. I didn’t know why but perhaps I’m beginning to understand now.’

‘You said earlier that you’d kissed a man before,’ Jack asked, hesitantly.

‘I’ve always been curious,’ Ianto said, ‘It was at university. I was at a party, celebrating the end of exams. And shall we say that lots of people had been drinking and taking things. There was this lad. We’d met a few times at other parties. He was a third year student and was celebrating getting his degree. And I think I was his prize! I’d always claimed that I would try everything at least once. He asked if I wanted to go upstairs and I said yes. Basically we kissed and touched each other and he sucked me off, while I gave him a hand job. He fell asleep and I left him there. Soon after I met Lisa and fell into a relationship. I think everybody’s sexuality is a little bit fluid even in the 21st century!’

‘I agree,’ Jack almost whispered. He felt the earth shift a little but then Ianto suddenly got up and said, ‘Coffee?’ and the moment was lost. He picked the plates and took them through to the kitchen. Jack followed him and sat at the kitchen table.

‘So, were you always in Torchwood?’ Ianto asked.

‘No, I got here in 1869 and roamed about the planet for a bit. I met a girl who told me I wouldn’t meet the Doctor until the century turned again. She told me the 21st century was when everything would change. Torchwood picked me up in Cardiff in the 1890s, when they noticed I didn’t die. Alice Guppy and Emily Holroyd made every effort to kill me; I ended up joining them and stayed until the Millennium.’

‘What happened, Jack, to make you leave?’

‘Alex Hopkins happened. He killed everyone and then himself. I never knew why; I just came back from Weevil hunting and found them there and I just couldn’t go on. Tosh and Owen have asked me to go back.’

‘Would you?’ Ianto asked, looking directly at him.

‘I don’t know,’ Jack said. ‘We’d need more people.’ With that a thought whirled round his head but he kept it to himself. They sat at the kitchen table, drinking the coffee.

‘I probably shouldn’t be drinking this,’ Ianto said, ‘but I reckon I’m tired enough after all that fresh air.’

‘I need to give you the injection Owen provided,’ Jack said. Ianto drained his mug. ‘I’m going to go to bed now. I think I’ll read for a bit. I’ll shout and you can come and stick the needle in me again.’

Jack waited as Ianto pottered around; his shout came ten minutes later. When Jack got there, Ianto was sat up in bed. He took a sharp intake of breath. Jack had no idea if Ianto slept naked but his torso presented an attractive sight. Ianto held out his arm and Jack gave him the injection. ‘It’ll help you sleep as well.’ He leaned in and kissed Ianto gently on the forehead. ‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ he said. Ianto snuggled down and opened his book.

It was three hours later that he awoke to the sound of screaming. He could hear Jack shouting, ‘Gray! Gray!’ over and over again. Ianto jumped out of bed; when he got to Jack’s room he found him thrashing about, shouting his brother’s name. Ianto climbed in beside him, taking Jack into his arms. Jack’s eyes opened suddenly.

‘It’s alright,’ Ianto said, ‘I’m here, I’ve got you. You were dreaming about your brother.’

‘I’m sorry I woke you,’ Jack murmured.

‘That’s alright. Just go to sleep. I’ll stay and keep you company.’

When Jack woke up in the morning, he realised that he was still lying in Ianto’s arms. It felt glorious and wonderful and oh, so very right!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little warning that there is sexual activity in this chapter which sort of goes into a M rating. Jack and Ianto get closer and Andy meets someone new.

Chapter 21

Jack also realised something else as he lay there in the younger man's arms and tentatively reached out his hand; there was a distinct bulge in Ianto's boxers. His hand ghosted over it and the other man groaned and moved, tightening his hold around Jack's shoulder so that there was no way he could move. Jack's mouth was inches from Ianto's nipple. He knew that he could open his mouth, flick out his tongue and encircle it quite easily. His own body was already making its feelings and desires known. Surely Ianto would be able to feel Jack's cock pressing into his thigh. 'If he reached down and took it in his hand would Ianto notice?' Jack wondered. The immortal simply longed to come in the other man's embrace. He edged his hand down slowly and discovered how hard he was. He needed to get out of there. He could deal with this in the shower but there was no way at the moment that he could extricate himself.

'Would you like a hand with that,' Ianto asked suddenly, startling Jack out of his daydreaming.

'What?' he said. 'Sorry you made me jump. I thought you were asleep.'

'Not likely with that pressing into my thigh.' Jack could hear the humour in Ianto's voice and he relaxed a little.

'It's okay; if you let me go I'll get up and have a shower. I'm not expecting anything, Ianto.'

'Look, Jack, this is still a bit new to me but I chose to be here. When I woke up a couple of hours ago and went to the loo, I could have returned to my own room, but I didn't. I came back here because it felt good to have you in my arms. Are you telling me that you don't want me to touch you?'

'No Ianto, I'd love you to touch me but only if you want to, not because you think I want you to.'

'Jack, you're thinking too much and I don't want to think at this moment; I wanna touch you.' Jack took Ianto's hand and put it on his cock. He felt Ianto explore its length and girth. It was almost like being examined by a doctor but so much more exciting.

'Sorry, I'm used to handing my own but it's been a while since I've been this close to anyone. I just wanted to feel you; it's just the same as touching yourself really.' Ianto began to stroke up and down. 'Is that alright?' he asked unsure of what Jack was thinking and feeling.

'Yeah 's good,' Jack replied. Ianto took his hand away briefly, put saliva on his fingers and then continued. It didn't take long until Jack groaned and writhed. Ianto felt the hot wetness cover his hand. It was only then that he pulled back the sheet to look, now that Jack was soft again.

Ianto flushed red. 'Sorry, I was worried I might be a bit intimidated seeing it in all its glory. Your reputation goes before you and I'm not sure what I was expecting to find really. I think there are some tissues on the bedside cabinet.' Jack reached for the box but was surprised when Ianto began to lick his fingers before wiping the rest away.

'You taste strange, Jack, good strange not bad strange. It's like you smell; it's quite intoxicating.' Jack smiled. '51st century pheromones,' he said.

'Ianto, can I touch you please?' he reached over and kissed the other man noticing the taste of mint in his mouth. He realised that Ianto must have deliberately cleaned his teeth when he'd visited the toilet. He reached over and put his hand into Ianto's boxers.

'Would it be easier if I took them off?' Ianto offered.

'Yeah it would and I'd get to see you as well.' Jack pulled them down as Ianto lifted his hips. He gasped a little seeing Ianto completely naked lying before him. He was beautiful. Jack couldn't help it; he licked his lips and leant across running his tongue through the wetness at the tip of the impressive erection. Ianto moaned as Jack asked an unspoken question. Ianto just nodded. Taking his cue Jack wrapped his lips around Ianto's cock and ran his tongue all around, sucking gently. He was pleased to hear Ianto groan his name and then he felt the other man's fingers running through his hair. He knew that this was the first time another person had touched Ianto in this way for nearly two years. It wasn't going to take long. Ianto couldn't help but thrust a little into Jack's experienced mouth.

'Jack, I'm going to come,' Ianto cried as a warning. Jack knew that Ianto expected him to stop and pull away but he didn't; he swallowed as Ianto emptied himself, keeping going until Ianto had finished. Then he moved up his chest, kissing all the way until he reached his face and kissed those gorgeous lips, allowing Ianto to taste himself.

'I never expected that, Jack. How do people do that?' Ianto said.

'Sorry, I have to say its practice,' Jack replied.

'D'you think you could teach me? Not now, but some time.'

'Does that mean you think you'd like to do this again?' Jack asked quietly.

'I think that may be a possibility but now I'm starving and I need a coffee so perhaps we'd better get up. I'm still a bit shaken by all this so I need to go a little bit at a time.'

'Whatever you want, Ianto. I don't want to be accused of taking advantage of you and Andy might say something like that.'

'Andy will just be annoyed that I didn't fancy him!'

'Did you and Andy ever fool around then? You know get drunk and compare willies when you were young.' Ianto blushed.

There was this one time when we were nearly thirteen,' he said, 'but in my defence there were a few of us. One boy had started to get hair and he was showing us his erection. We all watched as he played with himself in the changing rooms until the teacher caught him. On the way home that day Andy needed to pee. We were crossing some common ground. Andy went behind a tree. He was a while and when I went to see where he was I found him playing with himself. I watched and he never knew I was there.' Jack smirked. 'And you'd better not say anything either, Jack Harkness!'

Jack crossed himself. 'Cross my heart and hope to die!'

'Jack, that's not really a big promise from you is it!' Ianto said hugging him.

'I know,' Jack said smirking again.

'So breakfast and then we can find somewhere to visit and pretend to be regular tourists.'

'Sounds good to me and Ianto, thanks for staying when I had my nightmare. I'm supposed to be looking after you.'

'I think we're looking after each other, Jack and I wouldn't have it any other way.'

Back in Cardiff Andy had returned to work and was about to go in to see Chief Superintendent Swanson to explain what had happened and why Ianto was absent. He wasn't sure that he was happy with Ianto going off with Jack. He knew that there was an element of jealousy and rejection in his thoughts. At the back of his mind was the idea that he and Ianto could have been good together but in reality, he was far happier to have Ianto as a friend. Truth be told he was worried about Ianto being taken advantage of by the much more experienced and mysterious Jack Harness. He put his coffee down and made his way to the sixth floor. He could hear voices inside the office but knocked anyway.

'Come in,' Swanson shouted. Andy entered and found another man sat in front of Swanson's desk.

'Sit down, Andy. This is Alonso Frame.' Andy recognised the name.

'Sorry, weren't you at Romanski's,' he asked.

'Yes, look Andy, I'm from Naval Intelligence. I was put into the role of 'looking after' Romanski whilst undercover.' Andy raised his eyebrows wondering what that meant. Frame smiled. He was an interesting man, Andy thought, but oh those ears. He wondered why he hadn't had them pinned back when he was young. Mind you, they would be perfect for balancing your naval cap on.

'Andy, Alonso here has filled me in with what happened. Romanski and his collection are being dealt with. I believe you've met the Doctor; that must have been an experience, not to mention the phenomenon that is Captain Jack Harkness.'

'Yes, both interesting men,' Andy said.

'About Jones,' Swanson added. 'Alonso has explained a little of what happened.'

'I spoke to him briefly this morning. He's having a few days away to rest and recuperate.' He hesitated for a moment.

'I believe he's with Jack Harkness,' Swanson said.

'Yes he is; Harkness knows about Ianto's problems and he can carry out the treatment recommended by Owen Harper from Torchwood.'

'Hmm, I hope Jones understands his reputation,' Swanson said with a glint of something in her eye.

'He does,' Andy replied. 'He sounded fine and said he'd slept well last night. They were planning a day out.

'Okay, I suggest you two liaise further. Take a lunch break on us.' Alonso looked at Andy and smiled. 'Sounds like we're being sent on a blind date, so do you fancy it then?'

Sounds like a plan to me,' Andy replied.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

‘Now,’ Jack said. ‘I was looking at the tourist leaflets; how are your sea legs?’

‘Pretty good,’ Ianto replied. ‘Why?’

‘Well, there’s this 3 hour trip they do in a 12 person speed boat from Mumbles. I booked two places while you were in the shower as they had a cancellation. You get to see the coast and lots of wildlife and I can hold on to you if the going gets rough,’ Jack explained smiling. ‘But we need to get going now.’

‘Right, well, I’m game and you don’t need an excuse to hold me, Jack; I like it!’

They grabbed some stuff and jumped in the car. They found the ‘Sea Serpent’ and then got kitted out before getting in the open boat with the ten other people. The guide read all the warnings. It was a fun morning. They even saw dolphins which Ianto was thrilled about, as he’d never seen them in the wild before. It was amazing how little of his homeland he had seen. His family hadn’t had a lot of money so they’d only had a few holidays.

‘Anyway,’ he said to Jack above the noise of the boat. ‘You’ve no excuse; you’ve been here longer than me!’

‘Yeah, but I was a bit too busy to go sightseeing and the only sea serpents I met were real!’

The coast line was spectacular, from long sandy beaches to sheer rock cliffs with different coloured layers. At Three Cliffs Bay they saw the rocks called the Dragon.

‘It’s beautiful,’ Jack said. ‘We must come back here some time. Perhaps tomorrow we could walk own the valley following the river.’ The three hours were up so quickly. They drove around for a while and then found a pub for a quick sandwich.

‘I fancy an ice cream,’ Ianto said. ‘Let’s go and sit by the beach in Swansea. There’ll be somewhere there.’ They found a van and sat on the steps licking their ice creams.

‘Jack, stop it!’ Ianto said.

‘What?’ Jack replied trying to sound innocent of imagining what else Ianto’s tongue could wrap itself around. ‘It’s not hard to work out what you’re thinking right now,’ Ianto said.

‘Sorry, can’t help it. It’s all your fault, Ianto. You make me want to do bad things, Ianto Jones.’

‘I would have thought you were used to doing bad things, Jack and don’t forget I’m a good guy; I’m a police officer.’

‘How did you become a policeman, Ianto?’ Jack asked.

‘It’s Andy’s fault really. He became a copper straight from school. I went to uni in London and had no idea what to do with a history degree so I joined the Met, got promoted and moved in with Lisa. My life was pretty ordinary just dealing with criminals. Then, one day, I came across your file and read it. There were lots of suggestions but also lots of holes in the information and very little concrete evidence on your past, just lots of speculation. You fascinated me from the moment I opened that file so perhaps there was always something, Jack. After Lisa I returned to Wales. Andy encouraged me as there was a sergeant’s position in the CID but I didn’t forget you. I collected all the data I could and then you came to Wales and the rest is history.’ He looked directly at Jack. ‘Let’s go back to the cottage, Jack. I’m feeling a bit like another lie down.’

‘Yeah, okay, you’re probably still a bit tired,’ Jack said, entirely missing the point of Ianto’s suggestion.

‘I’m not tired, Jack. I just think I’d like a lie down.’

‘Oh, right, sorry; I was being a bit slow. Are you sure?’ Jack looked at the young man in front of him and at that moment he did look so young.

‘Yes, Jack; there are things I need to find out about, things I want you to show me, teach me. I think we have something, Jack and I need to know if I can do this. I want to find out about myself and about you. Is that okay?’  
Jack was already on his feet. ‘Well, we’d better get a move on then!’

By the time they got back to the cottage Ianto was feeling a little awkward. It was one thing to suggest they go to bed; it was another to be faced with the reality of what he’d intended to do. Therefore, he didn’t go straight into the bedroom but found himself sat on the sofa while Jack parked the car in the garage. Jack found him there; he’d deliberately delayed because he’d found that he was completely thrown by Ianto’s suggestion. Coming into the main room Ianto looked up at Jack who then sat beside him and took his hand.

‘You’ve changed your mind haven’t you?’ Jack said simply.

‘No, not exactly; I’m sorry, Jack it just hit me on the way home. I know we’ve done things but, well, this is different isn’t it? Jack, this time last week you were in my mind, a conman who I wanted to put behind bars. I keep forgetting that it’s only been a few days. I’m not saying that I don’t want to Jack, but …..’

‘Its okay, Ianto; I understand. I said I wouldn’t push you. Having full sex with a man, which I assume is what you were contemplating, is way out of your comfort zone. I get it. If you’re not sure you want to do something then we won’t. I have no problem with waiting because I know you’re worth it.’ Jack desperately tried to sound convincing. He found that he couldn’t bear the thought of losing Ianto. He wanted him more than he would have believed possible. He was scared that he’d have to walk away or that Ianto would push him away. He stared out of the window watching the sparrows flying about.

‘Jack, you’ve gone silent on me,’ Ianto said touching his chin to pull him around. He leaned in and gently kissed him.

‘Sorry, I don’t know what to say now. Ianto, I’ve slept with men and women without even finding out their names. I don’t want to scare you away. I find myself feeling things for you when I hardly know you.’

‘Perhaps that’s it, Jack; we’ve rushed into comforting each other because of our mutual grief, you over Gray and me over Lisa. Perhaps we need to do more ordinary things, like this morning.’

‘Are you asking me out on a date, Ianto?’

‘Yeah, I suppose I am. Let’s go to dinner somewhere and a movie. In fact movie and then dinner and we can see from there.’ Ianto looked at him. ‘I will admit that I am a bit intimidated by you, Jack. You’ve a lot more experience than me.’

‘Oh Ianto, you don’t need to worry about that. From what I’ve seen so far you’re a quick learner. Come on let’s get out the laptop and see what the highlife of the Gower and Swansea has to offer.’

‘Right that’s Iron Man in Swansea followed by dinner at Castellomare then. I have to say the view over Bracelet Bay looks wonderful. We’d better ring and book though.’

‘So what do we do now?’ Ianto asked. Jack got up and looked through the cupboards. ‘Do you play chess?’ he asked.

‘Do I play chess?’ Ianto replied rubbing his hands together. ‘Prepare to be annihilated, Captain.’ Ianto flexed his hands clicking each finger as Jack winced. Fifteen minutes later Ianto punched the air in victory.

‘Bloody hell you are good. It’s a pity they haven’t got Itchycarto here; I’d slaughter you at that!’

‘You’re making it up,’ Ianto said laughing. ‘What else have they got in there?’ Jack produced Jenga, Operation and Frustration. ‘Well, the last one may be appropriate,’ Ianto said winking at Jack. The tournament continued all afternoon with both men laughing a lot and Jack proving that his coordination was much better than Ianto’s.

‘Well, I’m very skilled with my hands,’ he said.

‘Really?’ Ianto replied. ‘So we’ve discovered that I’m better at strategy and you’re better at action. Hmm why am I not surprised? We’d better get ready hadn’t we if we’re going to get to the cinema on time?’

Interestingly, they weren’t the only people discovering more about each other that day. Andy Davidson had found that Alonso Frame might be worth getting to know better. For a blind date it had been an interesting lunch. Alonso seemed keen on the idea of getting Torchwood going again. Andy thought he’d phone Tosh and Owen to find out what was going on. If Torchwood was starting again no doubt Jack Harkness would be involved somehow. He wondered idly how Ianto was getting on with the legendary Captain. Perhaps they’d discovered that they hated each other but somehow he thought that was unlikely. There was just something about Jack Harkness and he suspected that Ianto had been half way to falling for him before he’d even met him. Only time would tell.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

‘Come on Ianto, you’ve got to admit that Robert Downey Jr is good looking,’ Jack said in the car as they drove to the restaurant.

‘Well, I suppose considering his rather colourful lifestyle he’s managed to keep his looks and I do think he’s a good actor. I enjoyed the film although the comic character was better. Mind you very few films manage to live up to the originals. Batman has been a bit hit and miss. I did love Christopher Reeve as Superman and I do have a secret love for Flash Gordon especially the black and white version with Buster Crabbe. Perhaps that’s what drew me to you, Jack. Let’s face it your greatcoat and braces do give you a bit of a superhero air like they’re a costume you wear. Why do you wear that coat?’

‘I don’t know really. When I first came to Earth it was in 1942 so this stuff was appropriate and it sort of stuck. I love the 40s style and music and thanks for seeing me as a superhero. So you could be Robin to my Batman.’

‘Or Penfold to your Dangermouse!’ Ianto retorted smiling.

‘I loved Penfold,’ Jack said. ‘Crumbs DM and I’m going bananas, Baron Greenback and the white furry worm like Blofeld from James Bond. You’re a fan; you’d look great dressed as Bond, Ianto with some good looking woman draped all over you.’

‘I’d rather have a certain good looking man! Now that would be a change, a gay James Bond,’ Ianto said.

‘Are you flirting with me, Ianto?’ Jack grinned. ‘So which Bond then?’

‘Connery! It’s always Connery. He really was Bond for me. Isn’t that the restaurant,’ he said pointing to the right.

‘Yes, good job we booked as it looks busy.’

‘I’m not surprised with this view and we’re having Italian again although they do other things as well. I’ve never heard of Bracelet Bay but its very pretty here.’

They went inside and were taken to a table with a view. They looked at the menu and decided on the steak for Jack and lamb for Ianto. As Jack was driving they kept to fizzy water.

‘So are you up for afters tonight then, Ianto,’ Jack asked carrying on the conversation from their first dinner date.

‘I might be.’ The Welshman replied.

They talked about all sorts over dinner. Jack wanted to know about Ianto’s family. Ianto explained that his parents were dead. His Mum had died when he was young and Rhiannon had looked after him. His Dad had died a couple of years ago just after he’d come back to Cardiff. His Dad had been a shop assistant despite having training as a master tailor. He explained that his sister was now married to a Neanderthal called Johnny and that he had a niece and a nephew called Mica and David. He also said that it was six months since he’d seen them.

‘God knows what they’ll think about me going out with a man!’

‘So are we going out, Ianto?’ Jack asked.

‘This is a date isn’t it, Jack?’

‘I want it to be, Ianto.’

‘What about your family? It must be odd knowing that what happened to you and Gray hasn’t happened in this timeline. What happened to your parents?’

‘My parents were killed by these awful creatures who invaded the planet. We hid with others and were separated. Later I joined the Time Agency and became their poster boy – the Face of Boe they called me. But I left when I woke up and found that I’d lost two years of my life and didn’t know what had happened.’

‘Does that mean you have two years you can’t remember?’ Ianto asked.

‘Yes, I don’t know what I did. I’ve always worried that I did some bad things but there’s more Ianto and I need to be honest with you. The last memory I have before the gap was finding out that I was pregnant.’ He let the words sink in. Ianto’s eyes flashed the shock but it took him a few moments to understand what Jack was saying.

‘So in the future men can get pregnant? Does that mean that you could get pregnant now?’

‘Yes, Ianto; I take a pill every day to stop it and there’s so much oestrogen in the rain that I don’t usually need that.’

‘Jack, what happened to the baby?’ Ianto asked quietly.

I don’t know if she even survived,’ Jack replied.

‘She? You knew what sex your baby was then.’

‘Yes, right away. Sorry does it freak you out, Ianto. It’s a reminder that I’m not the same as you. I am human but different.’ Jack could see Ianto thinking.

‘What is it?’ he asked.

‘Sorry what I’m thinking is totally premature but in the spirit of honesty I want kids; I’ve always wanted children and we could if you would well …..’ He saw Jack’s face.

‘Bloody hell! I’m sorry, Jack that was stupid of me and insensitive. It also makes you sound like a broodmare and here we are on our second date and I’m talking about having kids. Ignore me, please I’m just not thinking.’

‘No Ianto, it’s only fair. You expected to be involved with a woman and to have a family. Getting involved with me you might think that wasn’t possible. I don’t know how I feel about having kids, especially as Tosh and Owen have asked if I’d like to start Torchwood up again.’

‘Really, do you want to?’ Ianto asked thankful for the opportunity to change the subject.

‘I’m tempted but we need more people to run it properly. I need to talk to them again and I need assurances that UNIT would be hands off. There’s an awful lot to do if we are going to get it right and working again.’

As they’d been talking the food had arrived and been cleared.

‘Let’s have puddings and coffee,’ Ianto said, ‘and then we can go back and see where things for from there with no strings and no expectations. I want to go to be with you, Jack Harkness. I don’t want to be by myself tonight.’

They ordered desserts which arrived quickly. When they headed back home the sun had set. The narrow roads and lanes were dark and quiet. Once in the house Ianto took Jack’s hand.

‘Take me to bed, Jack. I want to touch you and feel what it’s like to lie naked in your arms.’ After the conversations they’d had Ianto was more certain than ever that he wanted Jack in his life and in his bed.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Ianto with a little bit of Tosh and Owen thrown in for good measure.

Chapter 24

‘Owen, its Andy can you give me a ring regarding Torchwood. I’m told that you’re thinking of starting it up for real again. Have you talked to Jack Harkness about it? Let me know as my Chief Super will want to hear what’s going on.’ Owen pressed the button to end the message and turned to Tosh.

‘So word is out,’ he said. ‘I wonder who Andy heard from. There’s also a message from someone called Alonso Frame from Naval Intelligence asking to speak to us. Well, are we going to do this, Tosh? It’ll mean putting other parts of our lives on hold again.’ He reached over and kissed her.

‘That depends on how we organise things, Owen. I can do field work but most of what I do is the tech stuff, as we know. You’re the medic. Jack could do the field work and we’ve no idea who this Alonso is. We could recruit more field agents so we don’t have to put ourselves out there and at risk. You know that we can change things to what we want and get things away from UNIT; I’ve looked at the original charter. If we can convince the Queen UNIT won’t have a leg to stand on. I’ve asked for an appointment and I reckon Jack could charm her; let’s face it he charms everyone else. In fact I’d worry that he’d take you away from me if it wasn’t for the fact that you have no arse to speak of.’ She giggled.

‘Hey you, I have an arse, not that I’m keen to share it with Harkness.’

‘I think you’ll find that’s my arse that you’re stroking, Owen. Is that going anywhere?’ She jumped slightly as Owen moved his hand between her thighs.

‘Seems to be,’ Owen replied working his fingers into Tosh and kissing the back of her neck. He reached around and rolled her nipple between the fingers of his other hand. His erection was now pressing against her demanding attention. She groaned and turned over to face him. Withdrawing his fingers he pushed inside her building up a rhythm as she pushed up to meet him.

‘I may have no arse but I have other attributes,’ Owen whispered as he leaned down to kiss her.

‘You most certainly do,’ she gasped.

In another bedroom Ianto was sat, feeling rather nervous, on the edge of the bed. Jack was still in the bathroom and Ianto didn’t know whether to get undressed and slip into bed or just stay as he was. He didn’t have time to decide because Jack came into the room and stood in front of him.

‘I’m going to take off my clothes, Ianto.’ Jack did just that until he stood naked in front of a still fully clothed Ianto. He was impressive in more ways than the obvious. Ianto thought that his smile could melt glaciers. He gulped somewhat at the thought of Jack pushing inside him. Determined to carry on regardless he too removed his clothes until he was also naked standing in front of Jack.

‘Now, I seem to remember something about a naked cuddle being mentioned,’ Jack said. ‘Get into bed and I’ll join you.’ Ianto pulled back the duvet and got in. Jack followed and opened his arms for Ianto to settle, placing his head on Jack’s chest. Ianto knew it felt good. He looked up and Jack leaned in to kiss him, moving his hand to stroke across Ianto’s back, making him shiver slightly as their bodies rubbed up against each other. Ianto allowed his fingers to roam over Jack’s chest. He wondered if Jack was really as hairless as he seemed or if he removed it to become so smooth. Jack’s lips moved across Ianto’s jaw and then on to his neck. His kisses became bites and Ianto knew that there would be marks but he didn’t care. He reached his hand lower and found Jack’s cock next to his own. He could get both into his one hand. As he pressed them together Jack groaned.

‘Should I stop?’ Ianto asked.

‘Not as far as I’m concerned,’ Jack said. Ianto kept his hand moving up and down for some minutes until he knew they were both close. Jack’s hand joined his until both men came together. Jack reached over and grabbed a towel and wiped them both clean. Ianto snuggled back down onto Jack’s chest, feeling a sense of achievement. Jack kissed his forehead gently.

‘We don’t have to go any further, Ianto. I don’t mind if you’re not ready for anything else.’

‘I don’t know, Jack. I want to go further; I want to know what its like to feel you inside me and I want to fuck you as well and feel you around me. Truth be told I feel on more certain ground with that one.’

‘Look, Ianto this isn’t going to be romantic or pretty is it,’ Jack said.

‘I know; I’m sorry. I remember my first time with a girl wasn’t particularly romantic either and it was bloody quick. I doubt if she got anything out of it.’

‘So do you want to fuck me?’ Jack said matter of factly.

‘Would you mind?’ Ianto asked.

‘Bloody hell we are being very polite here aren’t we. No Ianto I wouldn’t mind. I’d like it very much if you put that gorgeous cock of yours up my arse until you came. Do I look stupid? Okay, let’s do this; there’s some lube in the drawer. I put it there earlier. I have to admit that I don’t bottom very often, Ianto and I’ll need some preparation. You’ll need to cover your fingers in lube and push inside me.’

Ianto moved down until he was sat between Jack’s legs. He swallowed hard. It wasn’t the first time he’d put his finger up someone’s arse; he and Lisa had tried it once but it wasn’t for her and there was that time that he’d drunkenly tried it on himself. ‘Is that okay?’ he asked, pushing in a second finger.

‘Yeah, just push it slowly – yeah, just there on that little bundle of nerves that makes this all worthwhile. Try a third and scissor them a bit.’

Ianto did as he was told and was pleased to feel Jack beginning to squirm and groan under his touch. By now he was pushing in three fingers and was sat back fascinated by the sight of them disappearing and reappearing.

Jack had begun to breathe more heavily and he was pushing back against Ianto’s fingers. ‘Fuck me, Ianto,’ Jack groaned. ‘I want to see you so I’ll lift my legs up to make it easier for you and then I can touch myself as well.’

‘Should I be wearing a condom?’ Ianto asked.

‘No if you’re telling me the truth we’re safe and I know I’m clear of anything; anyway I want to feel you, Ianto.’

Ianto aligned himself and pushed slowly into Jack. ‘God that feels so good,’ he said as he felt Jack’s tight heat all around him.

‘Move, Ianto; you need to move,’ Jack said plaintively. Ianto pushed all the way in. Jack’s cock slapped against his stomach until he grabbed it and began to stroke himself. By this stage Ianto was having trouble stringing together any coherent thoughts but he knew he wasn’t far off coming. The tightness of Jack around his cock, the sight of it going in and out and the sounds the man was making were enough to send Ianto tumbling over the edge, even if he was trying to remember the 1973 Wales Rugby team in order to delay his climax.

‘Can’t hold on much longer, Jack,’ he gasped.

‘Feel free,’ Jack replied. ‘I won’t be long behind you.’ Jack smiled as he watched Ianto come and let go himself, his come spurting onto his chest. For a moment Ianto fell forward then he withdrew and grabbed the towel to wipe them both clean. He knelt back and looked at Jack uncertain of what to do or say next.

‘Was that okay?’ he finally asked. ‘Did I do it right?’

‘Come here,’ Jack said indicating that he should lie down.

Ianto smiled. ‘I think I just did that already!’

‘Oh no I’ve created a monster,’ Jack said laughing. ‘Now you’ll be after my arse every time you can!’

‘Well it is rather gorgeous, Jack; there’s not a blemish on it. Just think of all the ways we could do that. I’ve seen some of the sites Andy looks at online. There are so many positions we could try.’ Both men giggled at the thought. Jack leaned over and kissed the other man. It felt so good to feel his skin touching his lover, for that was what Ianto had become now.

‘My goodness, Ianto you are going to be such fun. I’m already making a list in my head. So are there any major fetishes I should know about?’

Ianto’s head immediately recalled the time that Lisa had worn a skin tight black cat suit and how it had affected him as she pulled down the zip revealing nothing underneath. That had been such a good night but did that mean he had a kink for leather. Jack saw his hesitation.

‘Come on, Ianto. I can see that there’s something. Tell me.’ He began to tickle Ianto mercilessly. ‘Come on what is it? Please tell me there’s something that isn’t completely straight about you with your suits and ties. Or do you do other things with those ties?’

‘I think we’ve established that I’m not completely straight, Jack in any sense of the word and well, I’m pretty broadminded so I’ll just let it be fun for both of us finding out. Jack, I’m not sure what to do now. I don’t think …..’

Jack put a finger to Ianto’s lips. ‘I think two orgasms are enough for now. Let’s get some sleep. We’ve got all the time in the world to do other things. I’m not going to be leaving your side anytime soon, are you planning on going anywhere?’

‘No, Jack, this is the only place I want to be.’


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jack is in demand – will he or won’t he?

Chapter 25

The next day they both made the mistake of switching on their mobiles after a long and fulfilling shower together. Jack had messages from Owen and Alonso; he wondered how Alonso had gotten hold of his number. Ianto had a message from Andy, which was really him trying to contact Jack. The messages were all about the same thing, TORCHWOOD and all said that it was urgent that Jack rang back.

‘We can go back today if you want,’ Ianto said. ‘I’m alright, Jack. I think my mind is far too occupied with other things, including that list we talked about, to dwell on what happened in the past!’

‘I’ve got one too. I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours,’ Jack said winking.

‘Jack Harkness, you are incorrigible but you make me feel good so I don’t care.’ He hugged Jack and kissed him. ‘Let’s get packed and you can phone Owen. I’ll text Andy to let him know we’re coming back.’

Ten minutes later Ianto was ready. ‘What did Owen say?’ he asked.

‘He wants to meet at the Hub at 3 today. You could come along if you want,’ Jack said.

‘I’ll see, Jack. I’m not really sure that I want to get any more involved with Torchwood. Anyway, Myfanwy will be missing me. If I don’t make a fuss of her she’ll be off to the woman two doors down who feeds her smoked salmon.’

‘Well, you know what they say about cats, Ianto. Dogs have owners and cats have servants.’

‘They also say that cats were once worshipped and have never forgotten it,’ Ianto replied. ‘Come on let’s get going. We just post the key back through the door. Jack, you are planning to stay at mine aren’t you? You’re not going to disappear off again.’

‘Not a chance of that, Ianto.’ He whispered something into his ear and Ianto blushed. ‘You will, Jack; I promise. I do want to try everything with you.’

They got back to Ianto’s reasonably quickly. Myfanwy expressed her annoyance at being left by starting her campaign to make Jack love her. She wound in and out of his legs. ‘This cat is a bit of a tart isn’t she,’ Jack said laughing.

‘It must be your 51st century pheromones, Jack.’ The phone rang.

‘Hi Andy, yes we’re back. I’m not telling you over the phone. Drink tonight.’ He looked at Jack. ‘Yeah that would be great. We can catch up. I don’t know, Andy; that’s his decision. Yes I know it means he’ll stay.’ Again he looked at Jack. ‘Look, I’ll see you tonight at your place at 7 okay?’

‘Andy wondering if I have honourable intentions is he.’ Jack said putting a coffee in front of Ianto. ‘Oh I found these as well,’ he said stuffing a hobknob into his mouth.

Ianto smiled. ‘Do you mind if I tell him about us?’ he said pulling his arms around the other man and kissing him.

‘No Ianto, I’m glad that you want to tell him and that there is an us. How do you feel about me starting Torchwood again? It means I’d stay in Cardiff. It means we could have a future if you want it.’ His face was so open and Ianto understood that Jack was laying himself on the line.

‘Jack, we’ve only known each other a while and we’ve gone very quickly into this. I do want us to have a future……….’

‘I sense a but in that statement and no that wasn’t innuendo.’

‘Jack, there are so many buts. In the cottage it was just us and it was wonderful but I have a job and a family to think about and well, you’re a man and I’d have to explain so much.’ Jack’s face said everything he felt.

‘Its okay, Ianto; I understand. We don’t have to put an ad in the paper. We go at whatever pace you want. As long as you want to be with me and you do don’t you? We’ll work everything else out.’

‘Thank you, Jack. I just need time. I need to say the words to someone else, to hear myself say that I have feelings for you. Once I’ve said it to Andy it makes it real and I can move on from there. Its one thing to admit to being bisexual in my head, but another thing to accept it in reality. So you go to your meeting and see what they say. If you want it Jack, want it for yourself not because it’s convenient. Starting Torchwood again is a massive commitment. I’m just getting my head around the idea of aliens let alone that you’re from the 51st century. Let’s face it coming out as a bisexual seems almost ordinary. How do I say to my sister that my BOYFRIEND is immortal and runs a secret organisation that deals with aliens right here in Cardiff? Suddenly, telling her that I have a boyfriend seems much simpler! Now, I’m going to make you a sandwich and more coffee and then you can go off to your meeting.’

‘Thanks, Ianto; I’ll see what they have to say. If I’m not back until later I’ll text. I may need some time to think about what they have to say.’ Jack knew he’d end up on a roof somewhere; he always thought better that way.

Two hours later Jack was stood at the tourist entrance, as he called it. His wrist strap could still operate it he found. He saw, as he went down, that there were four people waiting in the boardroom. Owen and Tosh he’d expected but Andy was there, as well as Alonso Frame. This was going to be interesting.

He took his time when the lift got to the bottom. It had been nearly eight years since he’d worked there. His visit with Tosh and Owen had been quite brief. ‘Did he want to be here again?’ He was 90% sure of his decision but there would have to be some ground rules established. He’d listen to what they had to say and he was curious to learn what Frame was doing there. After looking around he began to climb the stairs to the boardroom. He knew they were watching him. As he stood in the open doorway Tosh spoke first.

‘Jack, it’s good to see you again. Sit down please.’ She indicated the space at the head of the table. Jack took the seat. ‘Nice to see you again, Owen, Andy, Alonso. I have to say that I’m surprised to see you two here.’

‘Jack, have you made your decision?’ Owen asked, being typically direct.

‘I think so but I need to find out more about how this is going to work and I’m more than a little curious about what you two are doing here. Andy I guess is to do with liaison but …………’

Tosh interrupted him. ‘Right, firstly we have a call waiting for you. Someone would like to give you a few assurances,’ she said smiling. She handed Jack the phone and pressed a button.

‘Captain Jack Harkness speaking,’ Jack said rather formerly.

‘Ah Captain, good to hear from you.’ By now Jack’s jaw was hitting the table as Tosh and Owen grinned. ‘Yes your Majesty, you too. I hope you are well. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken.’

‘Yes, nearly eight years, Captain. Now, Torchwood, as you know Torchwood answers directly to the crown. I have made this quite clear to the powers that be and Prime Minister Green. Should you decide to return your records will be for my eyes only and there will be weekly reports over the secure line just to me. UNIT will have no powers over Torchwood and your team will work directly to you and thus to me. Does that clarify things for you?’

‘Yes, Ma’am, thank you, Ma’am; that has made me much happier. Under those terms I accept the position of leader of Torchwood Three. I assume that I can pick my own team.’

‘Yes Captain, of course the choices are yours. Although, if I could bring Midshipman Frame to your attention. He comes highly recommended by my husband. He’s known the family for years; a good naval family of course.’

‘Thank you Ma’am, I’ll let you know as soon as possible.’

‘Goodbye Captain, I wish you God speed.’

Jack replaced the phone. ‘Hmm, I seem to have made a decision. So Tosh, Owen, I assume you’d like to stay on the team.’

‘Yes Jack, but if you don’t mind I’d like to be more Hub based than a field agent,’ Tosh said.

‘That doesn’t have to be an issue Tosh; we’ll need someone to set up the systems and to deal with the archives. Owen, you’ll be medical and Alonso, a recommendation from the monarch no less!’

Alonso looked slightly embarrassed. ‘Yes my great grandfather served with Prince Philip and my grandmother was lady-in-waiting to Her Majesty. So am I to be part of this team, Jack? I’m good I can assure you!’ Jack wondered if there was any innuendo intended but then noticed how Andy looked at him; he appeared to be hanging on his every word. ‘Oh well,’ he knew Frame was flexible. ‘Andy, why are you here?’

‘My Chief wanted to know if Torchwood was starting again. I’ve met with Alonso and, well, if you are starting up again the police would like a firmer liaison between us and Torchwood. She suggested that Ianto and I might want to work closely with you!’ Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s partly why I wanted to see him tonight,’ Andy continued, ‘to sound him out about the idea.’

‘We’ll need to recruit some other field operatives,’ Jack said.

‘I’ve also got a suggestion about that,’ Alonso explained. ‘Someone I’ve worked with would be great in the field. She’s extremely thorough and she’s not overly keen on UNIT at the moment. She can be a bit of a maverick but she knows her way around weapons and computer systems. She’s also a fully trained paramedic. Her name is Jenny Johnson.’

‘Okay, that’s a start,’ Jack began. ‘Let’s agree to all meet back here tomorrow at 12.30. Can you arrange for Ms Johnson to join us, Alonso? That will give us a starting team of five. We’ll need more to do this properly but we can put our heads together for that. Perhaps there’s someone in the police that might suit us. Will you investigate that quietly, Andy?’

‘Now, I think Alonso and I could do with a tour, if that’s alright with you two,’ Jack stated.

‘I’m going to see Ianto later Jack, so I’ll get off.’

‘I know and he seems to be coping well at the moment,’ Jack said.

‘Oh I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about,’ Andy replied winking at Jack.

Jack’s face burst into a wide grin. ‘And I’m sure my ears will be burning; it’ll be a very interesting conversation!’


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe that this is the penultimate chapter. The epilogue is typed and will be up tomorrow. Andy and Ianto have a frank conversation that contains language of a sexual nature.

Chapter 26

Andy found himself pacing the floor, swigging back his beer, before Ianto arrived. He wondered why he was so nervous. ‘He had a lot to tell him sure, and he was over Ianto being with Jack wasn’t he? He wanted to keep Ianto as a friend; that was the only thing that made sense. Ianto would forgive him for lying wouldn’t he?’

As Ianto approached Andy’s door he too was nervous. He was going to tell him all about Jack. He wanted to say it out loud. Andy was his oldest friend and he was gay; surely he’d understand more than anyone how Ianto felt, certainly more than his family. He pressed the button on the door. A few seconds later Andy buzzed him in. Ianto noted the open beer can as he stepped into the room.

‘Started without me I see,’ he said trying to break the ice.

‘Here have one,’ Andy replied tossing him a can. ‘I thought we’d have Indian tonight. I’ll order the usual now.’ Andy rang through the order and they sat down on the sofa next to each other.

‘I had a meeting with Torchwood today; Jack was there. Have you heard from him yet?’

Ianto turned to face him. ‘I knew there was something going on. Jack told me he was going to talk to them and he texted me that he’d be late but he didn’t mention that you were there.’

‘No, I asked him not to. I wanted to talk to you about something first.’ Now Ianto was intrigued. ‘What’s going on, Andy? Come on tell me. I’ve known you were keeping secrets for a while.’

‘I’m sorry Ianto, but those were my orders. About two years ago I went out on a call. There was a creature; it had attacked someone and was holed up in a warehouse on the docks. I was told to let in people from Torchwood and I met Tosh and Owen. These things turned out to be aliens, weevils they’re called and it seems they live in the sewers. They usually aren’t a problem but sometimes one goes rogue. After this it was suggested that I act as Torchwood liaison; anything that sounded like a weevil or anything strange I called them in. When you started chasing Jack Harkness I knew there was a Torchwood involvement, but not exactly what. They needed police back up that night at Romanski’s so I got called in and I met Harkness and the Doctor with John Hart. How did you find out that I was involved?’

Ianto looked rather guilty. The door knocked and the food was delivered. Andy set it on the table and began to put it on plates.

‘I followed you,’ Ianto spluttered. ‘I followed you to the hotel and saw you with Jack and the Doctor. After that I hid in your boot; you gave me a key. And then I knocked you out. I understand that you couldn’t tell me. Was that why you were in there today?’

‘Yes, and to tell them that Swanson suggested that I needed a partner; I suggested you as you already knew about Torchwood. I had to tell her what happened, Ianto.’

‘So let me get this clear. You and I would be police liaison for Torchwood. You didn’t tell them about me and Jack did you?’

‘Yes and no, Ianto. They already knew about you two going away together; I don’t know how but I think Alonso Frame had something to do with it. So I’m assuming from that that there is a you and Jack then. Let’s eat and then you can spill the beans.’

Ianto swallowed more of his beer and began to eat the curry. As usual Andy had chosen something hot for himself and was already swallowing more Brains to cool down. He got up and got two more cans then sat back, plate in hand, dipping naan bread into the sauce.

‘Well Ianto, you and Jack, has he worked his legendary charm? Come on tell me. How far have you gone?’ Ianto blushed bright scarlet.

‘What you’ve let him fuck you! Already!’ Andy said.

‘No, not yet,’ Ianto replied quietly, ‘but we’ve dabbled.’

‘So what’s his dabbling like then?’ Andy asked unable to keep the smirk from his face.

‘I’ll get to that later. I don’t know what it is about him, Andy. It’s more than the obvious. He was kind to me and we got talking at the beach. I wanted to kiss him so I asked him.’

‘What you just said Jack will you kiss me?’ Andy asked.

‘More or less yes, that’s how it was.’

‘So what’s it like kissing Jack Harkness?’

Ianto thought for a moment. ‘It’s odd kissing a man but it was good, Andy. I liked kissing him. I liked him kissing me.’

‘Give you a hard on did it.’ Andy failed to hide the annoyance in his tone.

‘Yes, I’m sorry but it did. I can’t explain it, Andy. Anyway, you know it’s not the first time I’ve been with a man.’

‘Oh yeah that bloke sucked you off at that party when you were drunk. So did Harkness do that too?’ Andy leaned in as he swallowed more beer and whispered. ‘What’s his cock like then? You must have seen it.’

‘Shit, are you deliberately trying to make me go red?’ Ianto asked, swigging more beer himself. ‘Okay, I’ll tell you; his cock isn’t massive but it’s not small either!’ Ianto managed a smile.

‘So have you sucked him off then?’

‘No, but he has me, and yes he’s good at it, yes I came and yes he swallowed every drop! Is that enough detail for you or do you want length and girth. Sorry I forgot my measuring tape but I’m sure he won’t mind. And you know Andy, measuring tapes never lie!’

‘Okay, I get the message,’ Andy protested. ‘Still that’s impressive but then I believe he’s had a lot of practice. How can you be sure that he isn’t out fucking someone else now?’

‘I can’t, Andy; he’s admitted that his reputation is justified. He’s also said that he can be monogamous. Look, Andy I can’t explain it alright. I was never adverse to the idea of men. I’ve been around you all my life and you’ve had your share of casual sex. Christ, Andy you let John Hart fuck you more than once so don’t come all holier than thou with me.’ Ianto was getting annoyed now and the beer was beginning to talk.

‘But I know what I’m doing Ianto. You don’t know what men are like!’

‘Shit, Andy I am a man unless you missed that. I’m 25 not 15. I’ve just found out all sorts of things about my life. Next you’ll be saying that I’m only on the rebound from Lisa or suffering from PTSD. Andy, I want him to fuck me. In fact I could go from here tonight, go home, stick my arse in the air and say Jack, fuck me and he probably would.’

‘So he’d take advantage of you then,’ Andy continued.

Ianto calmed down a bit and thought. ‘No, he wouldn’t to be honest but you’ve made me more certain of what I want.’ Ianto stopped and looked Andy in the eyes. ‘By the way, I’ve fucked him!’

‘What! I thought you hadn’t got that far yet.’

‘No, I said he hadn’t fucked me. There is a difference. He wanted me to have some experience of what to do and what would happen. It was good, Andy. It felt so right and I want to do it again. So where does that leave me? I don’t know. I’m not broadcasting this yet. Can you imagine me telling Rhiannon? Hey Sis, I’ve got a new partner, yeah he’s called Jack. Yes I did say he. No I’ve not exactly gone bender. Oh and by the way he’s the leader of an organisation that chases aliens!’

‘Putting it that way I can see what you mean. So you’re going to see how things go then,’ Andy asked.

‘Yes, Andy. I’m not rushing in to anything. I’ll know when I’m ready and Jack will wait. I believe you’re all meeting tomorrow. So what’s this Alonso like then? Do I detect a bit of interest from you? You know what they say about sailors!’

‘He’s interesting but he has huge ears. He’s bringing someone with him tomorrow. Did Jack tell you that he spoke to the Queen today?’

‘What Jack spoke to the actual Queen?’

‘Yeah, it seems Torchwood answers only to her. I think Jack had spoken to her before.’ By now they were onto their fifth cans and feeling a little tipsy.

‘Now,’ Ianto said. ‘I’ve spilled about Jack. What was Hart like then?’

‘Where do I begin? He had the most impressive cock I’ve ever seen and the things he could do with his tongue. I swear he had more than two hands at times.’ They spent the rest of the night talking about Hart and everything else that had happened over the last week. At eleven a rather drunken Ianto phoned Jack who drove over to collect him.’

‘He’s a bit drunk, Jack. Don’t take advantage,’ Andy warned, slurring his words.

‘Andy, I have no intention of doing so,’ Jack replied. ‘I care about him a lot.’

‘See,’ said Ianto hanging on to the other man. ‘He loves me!’ Andy looked at Jack to see what his face was saying.

‘Come on you; time for bed,’ Jack said smiling.

‘With you?’ Ianto asked hopefully.

‘Yes but to sleep, that’s all.’

Later, as Ianto lay snoring with Jack curled around is back, he whispered into the younger man's ear. ‘You may well be right, Ianto Jones. Perhaps I do love you.’


	27. Chapter 27

Epilogue

The next morning Ianto woke up with a thick head. Jack was already up and brought him coffee in a large mug.

‘Head hurts,’ Ianto said.

‘Not surprised as you put a bit away last night. Is this what its going to be like when you and Andy get together then?’ He sat on the bed and stroked Ianto’s forehead gently.

‘Mmmm that feels good,’ Ianto murmured.

‘So how did I do then?’ Jack asked.

‘What?’ Ianto asked confused. ‘Was I that drunk that I don’t remember? Did we?’

‘No Ianto, I was a perfect gentleman and even left your briefs on. I meant when you were telling Andy about us. I bet he wasn’t exactly thrilled.’

‘No, he wasn’t but he’ll get over it. Tell me, this Alonso. I could see something in the way Andy was talking about him.’

‘Yeah, I think Alonso, in the true spirit of Torchwood, is shall we say, flexible.’ Ianto raised an eyebrow. ‘Don’t worry, Ianto. I don’t have a thing for sticky out ears just gorgeous Welshmen with beautiful vowels. So I’m going to the Hub before the meeting. Alonso is bringing this woman he recommended so we’ll see. What are you going to do?’

‘I’m meeting Andy with the Chief Super to discuss our role,’ Ianto explained. ‘So I’d better get out of here and into the shower. No chance of you joining me is there?’

‘As much as I’d love to I have work to do. Ianto, you do realise that Torchwood can take over your life. I may not be able to be here all the time but I’m not going to have to be there 24 hours a day as I once was either. Tosh has developed a programme that can detect Rift activity. I’ll be able to get the alerts wherever I am. Right I’d better get off.’ He leaned down and kissed Ianto who pulled him closer.

‘To think a while ago my only thought was about getting you and locking you up!’

‘And now your only thought is getting me back in that bed. Either way Ianto you’re still out to get me!’ Ianto grabbed him again pulling him down on the bed and clutching his arse.

‘Stop that,’ Jack said pulling away. ‘I’ll see you later.’

‘Of course you will, Jack. Let me know if you’re going to be delayed. I’m making dinner. God, how domestic is that?’

Jack smiled. ‘I know Ianto and you know what, I like it. I like the fact that I have someone to come home to.’

‘Get off before I refuse to let you go,’ Ianto said.

‘Later,’ Jack shouted as he went out of the door.

Within forty minutes he was in the Hub checking out his office and looking at the database of alerts over the last twelve months. He was also trying to get his head around the Rift Predictor Programme.

‘Do you want me to go through it with you?’ Tosh asked when she arrived at his door.

Jack looked up. ‘I assume you used the garage entrance. I need to put a warning alert on that. I like to know when people are entering and leaving the place. We need more CCTV around here as well. There are too many things that could do damage if they fell into the wrong hands. I see the dangerous stuff remains under lock and key.’ Tosh nodded. ‘Good, I’ll need to check through that at some time. I assume that anything that’s some in since 2000 has been logged and checked out by you and Owen.’

‘Not everything,’ Tosh said. ‘We were only here part time and there’s a backlog. We really need an archivist to sort out downstairs, Jack.

‘Right I’ll add that to the list of requirements. Anything else I should know?’

‘Yes, there’s a small spike due later this afternoon. I’m not exactly sure when but sometime between 1 and 4. I haven’t perfected the locater yet but I’m narrowing it down.’

‘Good, Tosh. Now show me how this thing works.’

They sat and Tosh went through the programme. At 12 Alonso arrived via the tourist office entrance. Jack had watched him approach with a woman. She was very striking and not what Jack had expected. She was older and smaller, dressed all in black – leather jacket, trousers and boots as if she’d just stepped off a motorbike. She also looked as if she took no prisoners, confidence oozed out of her. They entered Jack’s office together.

‘Alonso nice to have you back and I assume you are Jenny Johnson.’ Jack took the outstretched hand.

‘Yes,’ she said simply. ‘Ex-Naval Intelligence like Al here and ex UNIT.’

‘So tell me why did you leave?’ Jack said.

‘Difference of opinion,’ she said without elaborating. ‘I’m not asking you to believe me or trust me yet but just let me prove how useful I can be.’

‘Well, we’ve got to start somewhere,’ Jack said. ‘Now let’s have this meeting.

Ten minutes later they sat around the boardroom table. Owen dumped down coffee and doughnuts and all tucked in. Introductions were made. Jack looked around. This was his team now; he was back. He had Ianto and he had Torchwood. They sat and discussed procedural issues and roles within the organisation agreeing on who they needed to recruit. Suddenly there was a loud noise.

‘Rift alert,’ Tosh said. ‘In Splott – there’s a surprise.’

‘Nothing much changes,’ Jack said checking his Webley was in its holster.

‘Well team, let’s go and see what the Rift has given us. Tosh monitor from here. Owen be prepared to receive incoming. Alonso, Jenny you’re with me. Okay everyone let’s go and do what we do. This is where we start from. Welcome to Torchwood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will at some point be a sequel with new OC characters and stories from within and outside of canon. All I will say is that this is set in 2008 so soon they are coming!It would be lovely to hear from you.


End file.
